Fair & Square
John Prine
His plain-spoken rasp is still there to good effect, as are his offbeat, sly observations, enhanced by spare and subdued musical presentations. He starts off concerned about love, suggesting that Old Faithful’s just a fountain without it. But, soon, “real life” intrudes, and he acknowledges that this old world has made him crazy as a loon; just when he’s feelin’ good, a pigeon comes along and shits on his hood. But he soon comes back around to matters of the heart—the moon is down, and she’s all dolled up in the pickup. It’s a good friend telling stories over beers; it takes awhile to get warmed up, awhile longer to get through the shit and decide what really matters.