The Tree of Forgiveness

The Tree of Forgiveness is the eighteenth and final studio album by American country folk singer John Prine. The album was released on April 13, 2018. It is the last album released by Prine before his death on April 7, 2020.

The Tree of Forgiveness
Studio album by John Prine
Released	April 13, 2018 (2018-04-13)
Recorded	July 13, 2017–18
Studio	RCA Studio A (Nashville, Tennessee)[1]
Genre	Country folk, Americana
Length	32:51
Label	Oh Boy
Producer	Dave Cobb
John Prine chronology
For Better, or Worse (2016) The Tree of Forgiveness (2018)

Background

The album is Prine's first album since 2005's Fair & Square to consist of his own new songs.^[2] Most of the songs were co-written with other songwriters, including Pat McLaughlin, Dan Auerbach, Keith Sykes, and Phil Spector.^[3] The album features guest vocals from artists such as Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, and Brandi Carlile.^[4] Isbell and Shires also played instruments in some of the tracks.^[5] The album was recorded at RCA Studio A in Nashville.^[6]

• John Prine: Lead vocals and acoustic guitar
• Dave Cobb: Acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, and mellotron
• Pat McLaughlin: Background vocals and mandolin
• Jason Wilber: Electric guitar
• Dave Jacques: Bass
• Ken Blevins: Drums, kick drum, and rack tom
• Mike Webb: B3, piano, and mellotron

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.3/10[7]
Metacritic	77/100[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Chicago Tribune	[10]
The Independent	[11]
The Irish Times	[12]
Mojo	[13]
Pitchfork	7.6/10[14]
Rolling Stone	[15]
The Times	[16]
Uncut	8/10[17]
Vice	A−[18]

The Tree of Forgiveness has received positive reviews from professional music critics, with a Metacritic rating of 77 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[8] Rolling Stone listed the album as the 22nd best album of 2018^[19] and the 91st best album of the 2010s.^[20]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, which is Prine's best-ever ranking on the chart. It also debuted at No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart and Rock Albums, and No. 1 on Americana/Folk Albums, selling 53,000 copies (54,000 album-equivalent units) in the first week.^[21] It has sold 156,000 copies in the United States as of September 2019.^[22]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Knockin' on Your Screen Door"	Pat McLaughlin, Prine	2:19
2.	"I Have Met My Love Today"	Roger Cook, Prine	1:50
3.	"Egg & Daughter Nite, Lincoln Nebraska, 1967 (Crazy Bone)"	McLaughlin, Prine	4:05
4.	"Summer's End"	McLaughlin, Prine	3:29
5.	"Caravan of Fools"	Dan Auerbach, McLaughlin, Prine	2:28
6.	"The Lonesome Friends of Science"	Prine	4:41
7.	"No Ordinary Blue"	Prine, Keith Sykes	2:56
8.	"Boundless Love"	Auerbach, McLaughlin, Prine	3:35
9.	"God Only Knows"	Prine, Phil Spector	3:46
10.	"When I Get to Heaven"	Prine	3:42

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018–2020) Peak position Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 53 UK Country Albums (OCC)[24] 2 US Billboard 200[25] 5 US Folk Albums (Billboard)[26] 1 US Independent Albums (Billboard)[27] 2 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[28] 2 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[29] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[30] 58 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[31] 73