John Prine and Iris Dement's duets on "In Spite of Ourselves"

In 1999, John Prine released In Spite of Ourselves, a brilliant album of duets with nine of his favorite female singers and an excellent group of musicians backing him up. The record was a collection of classic country covers that tells the story of the many ups and downs of a relationship. Mostly downs though since there are a ton of great cheating songs at the core of this album. John had some incredible duet partners for this, including Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Patty Loveless. The highlight of In Spite of Ourselves though, and his classic concert promoting the album on the late great cable show Sessions at West 54th, were the songs he sang with Iris Dement, one of the most talented singer/songwriters to come from the country genre in the past 20 years.

Here are three of their duets from the best episode of Sessions at West 54th, followed by the studio tracks from In Spite of Ourselves.



John Prine w/ Iris Dement -We're Not the Jet Set



John Prine w/ Iris Dement -
Let's Invite Them Over Again

The best song on the album was the title track, the only song on the record that was a John Prine original. It was originally written for what became the unreleased Billy Bob Thornton film Daddy and Them, as he explains in a funny bit at the beginning of the video. This is the rare song that somehow manages to be hilarious, poignant, and beautiful and it is one of my all time favorites.



John Prine w/ Iris Dement - In Spite of Ourselves

If you don't own it, you should definitely pick up the John Prine DVD Live from Sessions at West 54th here, but in the meantime, here is one big mp3 file of the five songs John and Iris sang together that night.

John Prine w/ Iris Dement - Five Live Songs from Sessions at West 54th

If you'd like to listen to more from Iris Dement, check out a previous post on this blog abour her first album Infamous Angel right here.

Look for plenty more posts about John Prine and Iris Dement on this blog in the future. Thanks for checking this out.

Buy John Prine's In Spite of Ourselves from amazon.com

Iris Dement's debut album "Infamous Angel"

Iris Dement's unique voice, classic style, and brilliant songs have allowed her to stand out as one of the most beloved and respected country singers of the past few decades. The youngest of 14 children, Iris was born in Arkansas but grew up singing gospel music with her family in California. After college, Iris moved to Nashville to pursue a music career. Four years later in 1992, she recorded a debut album Infamous Angel, that is one of the best records of the last 20 years.

For those of you who aren't familiar, this should serve as a nice introduction. For those out there who have been blessed with her music before, I hope this brings back some nice memories.

Here are live performances followed by album tracks of two of my favorite songs on Infamous Angel.

Iris performing "Our Town" in her first appearance on Austin City Limits.



Iris Dement - Our Town (from Infamous Angel)

From the DVD of Transatlantic Sessions in 1995, "Let the Mystery Be."



Iris Dement - "Let the Mystery Be" (from Infamous Angel)

The album is one of the rare records to receive 5 stars from allmusic.com in this review by Jim Smith here. Since it is so well written, I'll post the full text of the review:

A remarkable debut, Infamous Angel established Iris DeMent as one of the greatest artists of her generation. With her gift for poignant, confessional songwriting and a voice that makes raw beauty seem like a brand new thing, she invokes the elemental magic of the Carter Family while sounding as fresh and modern as John Prine (who, not surprisingly, is one of her biggest champions). DeMent's concerns are largely family and tradition, and many of these songs deal with memories of life and love. Her Carter influence is revealed in a spirited cover of the classic "Fifty Miles of Elbow Room" as well as "Mama's Opry," a tribute to her mother, who also sings lead on "Higher Ground." These are wonderful, but DeMent's greater talent is the ballad, and she delivers an astonishing handful, including "When Love Was Young," "Sweet Forgiveness," and "After You're Gone," a tribute to her dying father that is so profoundly affecting that one is rendered nearly helpless listening to it. In the end, one finishes this record somber but refreshed by DeMent's charming, almost naïve, outlook on life. That naïveté isn't an act, either — DeMent claims in her liner notes that she's never thought of herself as a great singer. She couldn't be more wrong, and listeners can thank heaven that she changed her mind, for this is an album to be cherished and played as long as one has life to listen.

In short, you need to get this. Look for an upcoming post on Iris Dement's excellent duets with John Prine soon enough. Thanks for checking this out.

Buy Iris Dement's Infamous Angel at amazon.com