John Prine - For Better, Or Worse

In 1999, John Prine released a thoroughly charming and engaging album called In Spite of Ourselves, in which he covered a handful of classic country tunes (tossing in one new original for good measure) as duets with nine talented female vocalists. Prine has given the same approach another try 17 years later, and though For Better, or Worse isn't quite as good as his first go-round with this concept, it's still a fine collection of songs from a man who knows a bit about crafting a tune. The greatest strength of For Better, or Worse is also one of its weaknesses -- Prine himself. Prine was nearly 70 when he recorded this album, and his voice has grown worse for wear (his battle with throat cancer in the '90s and a more recent brush with lung cancer haven't helped). But if he sounds his age on these tracks, he also spins that to his advantage; on numbers like "Who's Gonna Take the Garbage Out," "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke," and "I'm Telling You," he sounds like an wily old rascal who's seen