10 New Albums to Stream Now: Jason Aldean, Tinashe and More Editors' Picks
"Prine's plainspoken tenor creaks like an wide-plank old floor in winter" on his first album of originals in more than a decade, writes Will Hermes. "It amplifies the poignancy of 'Summer's End,' an open-armed invitation home to a grown child, perhaps, amidst images of inevitable loss, penned with Prine's longtime co-writing partner Pat McLaughlin. The voice adds wizened gravitas to the class-conscious 'Caravan of Fools' ('Late at night you see them/Decked out in shiny jewels'). And of course, it nails the death meditation 'When I Get To Heaven,' a mix of punchlines, sweet sentimentality and looming void."