I never realized how brilliant John Prine was until Jason Isbell mentioned in an interview, that Prine was a major influence to him.
If you're not familiar with Isbell, he is possibly the best American singer-songwriter recording today. Formerly of The Drive-By Truckers, he was kicked out of the band due to his alcohol addictions around 2007. Has been solo ever since. He's the total package, an amazing guitarist, booming soulful voice, and the imagery in his songwriting is brilliant. Best song's include, Elephant, If We Were Vampires, Live Oak, Alabama Pines to name a few. Needless to say, I'm a huge fan. Isbell has a new album, Reunions, set to release in early May.