To be honest, I've never understood why Prine never mad it big. He produces songs that work, as exemplified by the huge number of covers of his work. He has an infectious personality and it a tremendous stage performer. He produces albums where you actually want to listen to every single song, as opposed to most albums where you spend as much time skipping through the junk as you do listening to the one or two halfway decent songs on the album.

John Prine is a songwriter and storyteller of the first order, and this is one of his all time best albums. Take a pass on all the garbage out there and make John Prine one of your regulars-you'll never regret that you did.


John Prine Proves He's No "New Dylan" By Any Means   October 28, 2000
28-year old wallflower (West Lafayette, IN)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful

Indeed, when the critics brand an up-and-coming songwriter "the new Bob Dylan", it gives the artist a complex he may never live down, and a career that's anything but distinguished. However, John Prine is one of those unlucky "neo-Dylans" that not only took that label in stride, but slowly trampled over it. Like most songwriters, Prine's songs have been famous thanks to other artists, while he himself has been restricted to cult status. The title of LOST DOGS & MIXED BLESSINGS is an appropriate summing up of Prine's career, which has seen its fair share of hills and valleys, but resulted in him still alive & kicking. With his most recent recordings, Prine has adopted a more traditional country sound that has turned out to be a great background for his offbeat lyrics and even more sardonic delivery. Songs like the acronym-heavy "We Are The Lonely", the smartly-written "Leave The Lights On", and the easy-to-sing-along "Big Fat Love" are both catchy and original enough to have won some airplay on country radio stations not just by Prine himself, but maybe by Dwight Yoakam or George Strait.. The same goes for well-sung favorites like the infectious opener "New Train", the bluesy "Ain't Hurtin' Nobody" and the sarcastic "Same Thing Happened To Me". Like Dylan, Prine's music has its share of idiosyncrasies, with even the most heartfelt statements being delivered with a slight tongue-in-cheek. BLESSINGS contains "Humidity Built The Snowman", "Lake Marie", "Quit Hollerin' At Me" and "He Forgot That It Was Sunday", which all sound like ordinary ballads, but still contain the heavily-veiled wordplay of his uptempo songs. Then again, there are beautiful love songs that are more straightforward like "This Love Is Real" (featuring a guest appearance by Marianne Faithfull), "All The Way With You", "Day Is Done", and the closing "I Love You So Much It Hurts". I'll bet John Prine still has quite a few great songs up his sleeve, but at this point in his career, he can stand to take some years off before coming up with something new. After this, Prine returned with the mostly-covers album IN SPITE OF OURSELVES. So until another original album comes along, LOST DOGS & MIXED BLESSINGS will be ample proof that John Prine had loads of potential at the beginning of his career, and three decades later, he's still got a lot to accomplish.


Lost Dogs And Mixed Blessings   January 31, 2004
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Listening to this album and other greats by John Prine, I may be forever puzzeled as to why many consider JP's music as being in a Cult Status. Comparisons to Dylan & others, in my view are extremely unfair. John Prine sounds like one of the Few True Originals to me. Just about every tune on Lost Dogs + Mixed Blessing is worthy of attention, while, and you know I am right about this, just about every other artist puts out an album with 1 or 2 good tunes and a lot of fill. We Are The Lonely and Big Fat Love are Cranked-up Rockers while the other tunes are a good mix of music and lyrics that Can't be put into any one category. John's music is a good contemporary blend of a lot of styles, which indeed has the overall qualities which again, equal originality. Why I think someone like John Prine gets considered as Cult Status is because for years radio stations and record stores put him along with other great artists such as Buffy Sainte-Marie into obscure, out of the way, Folk Music Bins and while the mainstream record hunter was looking in the rock or country sections of stores they were not seeing great offerings such as John Prine. Now in the age of the PC we have a much better chance of discovering new interests/items or finding what we're searching for.
Lost Dogs And Mixed Blessings is just one of many Great John Prine albums and it's a great example of why John Prine does not need to be compared to anyone else. His music is Great on it's own.


Prime Prine   March 6, 2003
G. Lewis (Funeralville)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

Ok, so I stole the title from one of his albums. Sorry, John. Another long-time Prine fan here (have been hooked ever since "The Accident" back in 1976). Not surprisingly, this one became another of my favorite albums. I don't know how he does it, but the sentiments he expresses in his music seem to follow my life. Maybe that's because his music isn't cookie-cutter, "perfectly crafted popular hit songs" and is open to so much varying interpretation, there's always something there that I relate to at any particular time. And it always makes me think. Sometimes his meaning (or my best guess at his meaning) doesn't become clear for years. "Lake Marie" is one of my favorites on this one. First heard it during my divorce, when John sings about being up in Canada, "trying to save our marriage, or catch a few fish, whatever comes first." He has lifted my spirits and brought so many smiles to my face over so many years and through so much turmoil. I'll always be so grateful that he didn't make a lifelong career out of delivering "more junk mail than the junkyard could hold." If you're a Prine fan you will probably love this one. If you're not a Prine fan, or you're not sure, it's anyone's guess. John Prine isn't for everyone - if he was, I'd probably hate him.


From first to last is a winner   May 1, 2000
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Like a good book or film an album requires a beginning which immediately requires attention,interest and the wonder about whats next.This album certainly meets that criteria,with the raunchy,gritty, country rock "New Train"as a gripping opener, and from that first to last is a winner. I only recently came across John Prine when he guested on "Crown Of Jewels" and performed a most enjoyable rendition of" City Of New Orleans" with Randy Scruggs ; this was certainly instrumental in my buying"Lost Dogs". There must,I would think, be something for everyone in this selection; ballads like "Lake Marie"and"Humidity Built The Snowman"are superbly performed and like the entire album the musical arrangements are top drawer. Humour is much in evidence throughout, although it must be noted that it moves between surreal and weird at times;no complaints from me as it is invariably thought provoking ,clever and in some cases both, like"Same Thing Happened To Me" or"He Forgot That It Was Sunday". My favourite track,by a whisker from those noted,is "Day Is Done"clever lyrics,haunting vocals and a simple yet effective musical accompaniment,my highlight in a very satisfying and enjoyablle musical experience.Try John Prine, I"m sure like me you will not be disappointed.