The Prodigal Son (Ry Cooder album)

The Prodigal Son is a 2018 studio album, the sixteenth to be released by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ry Cooder. The album was released on May 11, 2018 by Concord and Perro Verde labels. The record also produced two singles.

The Prodigal Son
Studio album by
Ry Cooder
ReleasedMay 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)
Recorded2018
Studio
Genre
Length48:11
Label
Producer
Ry Cooder chronology
Election Special
(2012)		 The Prodigal Son
(2018)
Singles from The Prodigal Son
  1. "Shrinking Man"
    Released: March 1, 2018
  2. "The Prodigal Son"
    Released: March 29, 2018
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
American Songwriter[3]
Blurt[4]
Financial Times[5]
The Independent[6]
The Irish Times[7]
PopMatters8/10[8]
Record Collector[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Spectrum Culture[11]

Background

A successor to his 2012 album Election Special, and Cooder's first album in six years, The Prodigal Son seeks a return to the Gospel-infused spirit of his early career. Notably, the album features covers of the songs of the likes of Blind Alfred Reed, the Pilgrim Travelers and the Stanley Brothers alongside three original compositions.[12]

According to Cooder, the album was primarily borne primarily from Cooder's 2015–16 tour alongside bluegrass musicians Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White of The Whites and finds a basis in incorporating elements of some of the white gospel music performed during the tour.[13]

To promote the album, two in-studio video performances were released to the official Ry Cooder YouTube channel, one of "Straight Street"[14] and one of the album's title track.[15][16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ry Cooder and Joachim Cooder, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Straight Street"James W. Alexander and Jesse Whitaker4:00
2."Shrinking Man"Ry Cooder4:07
3."Gentrification" 3:13
4."Everybody Ought to Treat a Stranger Right"Blind Willie Johnson and traditional3:46
5."The Prodigal Son"Traditional3:48
6."Nobody's Fault but Mine"Blind Willie Johnson and traditional6:07
7."You Must Unload"Blind Alfred Reed5:26
8."I'll Be Rested When the Roll Is Called"Blind Roosevelt Graves and traditional3:11
9."Harbor of Love"Carter Stanley5:46
10."Jesus and Woody" 5:57
11."In His Care"William L. Dawson3:39
Total length:48:11

References
  1. "The Prodigal Son by Ry Cooder". Metacritic. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  2. Jurek, Thom. "The Prodigal Son - Ry Cooder | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  3. Horowitz, Hal (May 10, 2018). "Ry Cooder: The Prodigal Son « American Songwriter". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  4. Mills, Fred (May 11, 2018). "RY COODER - The Prodigal Son". Blurt Magazine. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  5. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (May 11, 2018). "Ry Cooder: The Prodigal Son — deft and unshowy musicianship". Financial Times. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  6. Cobb, Brent (May 9, 2018). "Album reviews: Brent Cobb, Simian Mobile Disco, Jess Williamson, Beach House, Bad Wolves". The Independent. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  7. Breen, Joe (May 11, 2018). "Ry Cooder: 'The Prodigal Son' review - Balm over brute force". The Irish Times. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  8. De Stefano, George (May 16, 2018). "Ry Cooder Seeks Comfort in Gospel Music on 'The Prodigal Son'". PopMatters. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  9. Stounton, Terry. "The Prodigal Son - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  10. Bernstein, Jonathan; Bernstein, Jonathan (May 11, 2018). "Review: Ry Cooder's 'The Prodigal Son' Is a Roots Refurbishing". Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  11. MONTANARI, DYLAN (June 1, 2018). "Ry Cooder: The Prodigal Son". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  12. Badgley, Aaron (May 18, 2018). "SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RY COODER – THE PRODIGAL SON". Spill Magazine. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  13. De Stefano, George (May 16, 2018). "Ry Cooder Seeks Comfort in Gospel Music on 'The Prodigal Son'". PopMatters. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  14. Ry Cooder - Straight Street (Live in studio) on YouTube
  15. Ry Cooder - The Prodigal Son (Audio) on YouTube
  16. "Video". Retrieved February 9, 2019.
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