One of Prine's Best
David Zimmerman | Baton Rouge, LA USA | 08/08/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Folk legend John Prine's albums are all somewhere between good and excellent, and "Bruised Orange" is one of the best. The opener, "Fish and Whistle" and "That's the Way the World Goes Round", have been played countless times at open mike shows in my hometown of Baton Rouge and many other places I would imagine. "If You Don't Want My Love" certainly sounds a lot different from the other more folksy selections, but I still like it--it just presents another side of Prine's songwriting ability. My other favorites are the title track, which as another reviewer noted features a poetic refrain about the wages of anger "for a heart stained with anger grows weak and grows bitter, you become your own prisoner as you watch yourself sit there wrapped up in a trap of your very own chain of sorrow."--unmatchable lyricism--and the closing "Hobo Song", which features another great chorus "could it be that time has gone and left them tied up in life's eternal traveling sack," sung by the "Hobo Chorus", which in producer Steve Goodman's able hands sounds very much like you'd expect a chorus of hobos to sound."
I Beg to Differ
E. Folta | Connecticut, USA | 04/22/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"While this album is just as wonderful as the reviewers below have said, and a classic of the singer-songwriter genre, I want to cast a vote in favor of the cut "If You Don't Want My Love" which is much-maligned below. While it has none of the whimsy and humor which characterize most of Prine's work, it is in fact a perfect encapsulation of a bitter cast-off lover's state of mind -- and stays on and on in the memory. It is in fact my favorite cut on the album!"
It's a happy enchilada ...
Earl B | Auckland New Zealand | 04/23/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"One of my two favourite John Prine albums, the other being the more recent "Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings". And Prine followers will know the "happy enchilada" reference from his live performances ... this was the album where it appeared first!"