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 record labels. The record also produced two singles.

The Prodigal Son
Studio album by Ry Cooder
Released	May 11, 2018 (2018-05-11)
Recorded	2018
Studio	Sage & Sound Recording Studios in East Hollywood and Wireland Studios in Chatsworth, Los Angeles
Genre	American roots blues rock
Length	48:11
Label	Perro Verde Concord
Producer	Ry Cooder Joachim Cooder
Ry Cooder chronology
Election Special (2012) The Prodigal Son (2018)
Singles from The Prodigal Son
"Shrinking Man" Released: March 1, 2018 "The Prodigal Son" Released: March 29, 2018

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
American Songwriter	[3]
Blurt	[4]
Financial Times	[5]
The Independent	[6]
The Irish Times	[7]
PopMatters	8/10[8]
Record Collector	[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
Uncut	[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 born 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]

Reception

In a five-starred 2018 review for The Irish Times, Joe Breen said: "Ry Cooder hasn’t lost the activist voice that drove Election Special, his last new album, just before Obama's re-election, but The Prodigal Son is a softer shade of his political self, more balm than brute force."^[7]

Giving the album four stars, Terry Staunton, writing in Record Collector, said "Cooder astutely plunders the grammar of the nation’s folk music history with remarkable results. Three of its 11 songs come from his own pen, but elsewhere his archival skills come to the fore, referencing such bygone chroniclers as The Stanley Brothers and Blind Willie Johnson... Key to the album’s success is Cooder’s regular collaborator, son Joachim, with whom he’s worked for close to 25 years. Serving as intuitive drummer and keen-eared co-producer, he is integral to fashioning a set of songs that while acknowledging the rich tapestry of the US’ folk past ring loud and clear with modern-day truths."^[9]

Hal Horowitz, in a four-starred review for American Songwriter, said: "Cooder has returned to a similar basic blueprint of stripped-down gospel, backwoods and folk blues that got him started on his twisting musical journey all those years ago... this long-awaited comeback of sorts for Cooder is a joyful, intense and occasionally humorous experience that any Americana fan will enjoy."^[3]

Track listing

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

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

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018) Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 14 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 8 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19] 107 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[20] 16 French Albums (SNEP)[21] 196 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 17 Irish Albums (IRMA)[23] 11 Italian Albums (FIMI)[24] 32 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25] 29 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[26] 41 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 34 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 7 UK Albums (OCC)[29] 10 US Billboard 200[30] 161 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[31] 31

Year-end charts Chart (2018) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] 109

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 July 4, 2021.
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. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. 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 (May 11, 2018). "Review: Ry Cooder's 'The Prodigal Son' Is a Roots Refurbishing". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
11. Spencer, Neil (May 17, 2018). "Ry Cooder - The Prodigal Son". Uncut. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
12. Badgley, Aaron (May 18, 2018). "SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RY COODER – THE PRODIGAL SON". The 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.
17. "Austriancharts.at – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
18. "Ultratop.be – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
19. "Ultratop.be – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
20. "Dutchcharts.nl – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
21. "Lescharts.com – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
23. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Ry Cooder". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
24. "Italiancharts.com – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
25. "Norwegiancharts.com – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
26. "Spanishcharts.com – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
27. "Swedishcharts.com – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
28. "Swisscharts.com – Ry Cooder – The Prodigal Son". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
30. "Ry Cooder Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
31. "Ry Cooder Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
32. "Jaaroverzichten 2018". Ultratop. Retrieved August 1, 2020.

External links

• Straight Street on YouTube