Review: Standard Songs for Average People

John Prine fans are a spoiled lot, aren’t we? In addition to enthusiastic, adoring and, yes, grateful, John Prine fans are also greedy and self-centered: we want all the Prine, all the time, all to ourselves. I dread the release of a new Prine album, despite the fact that he is my favorite musician, precisely because every Prine album is touted at the one that might, finally make John Prine a household name — God forbid. For some reason, we fans worry Prine’s lyrical and acoustic magic will be diluted if we have to share. Essentially, we don’t want mainstream music’s pawn shop to rob us of our childhood souvenirs. And yes, I’m fairly certain I am not the only crazy Prine-phile. Need proof? Go to a Prine show and start shouting requests from his most recent album (whatever it is at the time) and go to the bathroom during “Sam Stone.” Expect a folkie beat down.

I don’t think Standard Songs for Average People, John Prine’s collaboration with former Foggy Mountain Boy Mac Wiseman, will be his break through album, which is to say, of course, it’s a delight. Rest easy, Prine nation, and listen up. Rather than recording Prine’s signature quirky, whimsical-yet-earthy songs, the duo covers “standard songs” by iconic song writers like Leon Payne, Bob Wills and Kris Krisofferson. Indeed, this type of classic cover album seems to be experiencing a kind of resurgence in popularity from Martina McBride’s 2005 Timeless to Willie Nelson’s 2006 tribute to Cindy Walker, You Don’t Know Me. Prine and Wiseman perhaps make the most unusual case for what they consider standard songs (because these aren’t exactly “Georgia on My Mind”). The album kicks off with a spirited rendition of Ernest Tubb’s “Blue Eyed Elaine,” moves quickly into the two most-recognizable songs on the album, Bob Wills & Cindy Walker’s “Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Age,” then Charlie Feather & Stan Kesler’s “I Forgot to Remember to Forget.” Standard songs, for Prine and Wiseman, unsurprisingly, are humorous and fun, from “Saginaw Michigan” the story of a young man duping his father-in-law into buying worthless land in Alaska to “The Death of Floyd Collins” the story of a cave explorer who died after being pinned in the cave by a rock (okay, that shouldn’t be funny but it is) to “Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine,” in which Prine claims he “turned 65…about 11 months ago.” Standard Songs for Average People seems to be arguing that if standard songs are limited to the most popular, well, that’s no fun. However, if standard songs are the most enduring, then the subtle point about this album is that a standard song is whatever you want it to be.

The sound of the album is refreshing. The traditional country instruments — dobro, mandolin, fiddle, guitars of all varieties — are allowed to shine without the over-processed, overwhelming production values that mar much of modern country music. (Though the cover art depicts Prine and Wiseman playing guitar, the liner notes indicate that they both play guitar on only “Old Rugged Cross” and Prine plays guitar on “Don’t Be Ashamed of Your Age.”) The background vocals on “Saginaw Michigan” and “Old Cape Cod” create a retro, polished feel like the women who sang the call letters for 1940s radio stations.

Though I’ve made much of my love for Prine, I must say Wiseman just might steal the album. The 81-year-old “Voice with a Heart” lives up his clunky, if completely accurate, nickname. Wiseman interprets the lyrics with gravity and wry humor when appropriate — never hammy as so many younger artists are when tackling older material. Wiseman certainly isn’t as iconic as Bill Monroe, or Flatt and Scuggs, but this album serves as a reminder that sometimes music is about who can have the most fun, and I wouldn’t pit anyone against Wiseman. His biography on groovegrass.com notes that “Mac is still a favorite at festivals, fairs, colleges, clubs and theme parks throughout the USA and Canada.” Though many artists may not even consider playing a Six Flags, I get the sense that Wiseman’s had plenty of joy under the radar and I know that those of us that have discovered these two musicians are the lucky beneficiaries. (Alright, maybe I should be more willing to open up membership to the fan club.) Perhaps these are standard songs, but Prine and Wiseman are certainly not average people.

**** (better graphics soon, I promise)