John Prine - Live from Sessions at West 54th
John Prine's 2001 appearance on the PBS concert seriesSessions at  West 54thwas easily one of that program's most exciting and satisfying  offerings. In a rare instance of improving upon perfection, this DVD record  of Prine's taping before a studio audience includes priceless material left  out of the hourlong broadcast as well as the singer-songwriter's excellent  supplementary interview withSessionshost John Hiatt. With only his  spare, guitar-and-bass backup band, a bemused Prine quickly achieves glory  revisiting three decades of eclectic material. From rockabilly satire ("Blow  Up Your TV") to wintry folk ("All the Best") and compressed epics ("Lake  Marie"), Prine underscores his reputation as a modernist master of  storytelling. The show's centerpiece is a remarkable five-song duet with the  great Iris DeMent, including a hilarious yet poignant tune ("In Spite of  Ourselves") Prine wrote for an unreleased Billy Bob Thornton film. The show  ends with the crystalline "Hello in There," a beautiful portrait of time and  destiny.--Tom Keogh