The phrase "songwriter's songwriter" gets used a lot when it comes to John Prine, and not without reason.

Although Prine's never become as famous or successful among the general populace as some of his contemporaries, his standing in the songwriting community is somewhere between Bob Dylan and Jesus Christ.

And indeed, Prine is one of the best in the business: funny, poignant and tuneful, his songs could've been written yesterday or a hundred years ago. But to call him a songwriter's songwriter is to imply that he's an acquired taste, or even inaccessible. Far from it; not only is he one of our most talented songwriters, but also one of our most plain likable.

You won't find another John Prine for a long, long while.