The Missing Years

by William RuhlmannPrine took five years between his ninth studio album and this, his tenth -- enough time to gather his strongest body of material in more than a decade. From the caustic "All the Best" to the cliche compilation "It's a Big Old Goofy World," Prine's gifts for emotional revelation and off-the-wall humor are on display in abundance, and he's aided by excellent production (courtesy of Heartbreaker Howie Epstein) and strong backup musicians. The Missing Years won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.