Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings

Veteran folksinger John Prine followed up his Grammy winning 'The Missing Years' with the nearly-as-winning 'Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings'. Keeping Tom Petty and Heartbreakers' Howie Epstein in the producer's chair, Prine assembled a cast of similarly seasoned pros to lend a hand (fellow Heartbreaker Benmont Tench, Marianne Faithful, and Waddy Wachtel), Perhaps bolstered by his recent commercial recognition, Prine beefed up the sound considerably with fuller band arrangements. Prine comes up aces in more than a few places. The full-blown rock feel of 'We are the Lonely' chronicles the inherent lunacy of personal ads in a litany of absurd couplets. The album's crowning achievement is the stunning 'Lake Marie', which features the most outwardly emotive vocals of his career. Besides, nobody else but Prine could use the chorus of 'Louie Louie' as a metaphor for the dissolution of a relationship.