Photo Credit: David McClister

John Oates has shared a new cover of John Prine’s “Long Monday” as the second preview single for Reunion, his sixth solo studio album due to release on May 17 via Jasper Productions. Broaching the key cut from Prine’s 2005 project Fair & Square, Oates exhibits both his reverence for the legendary singer-songwriter and his own unique folk slant, balancing these to put forward a fresh and personal treatment of the standard. The performance comes together with a feature from singer-songwriter Sierra Hull, whose plucky and bright mandolin amplifies the song’s emotional force.

Oates’ “Long Monday” maintains the warm and inviting tone set by the preceding single “Reunion,” embracing a sound at once full and understated. A wide-open sonic environment resolves from distant strings and softly shuffling percussion, each note fading out and running together as if ringing off rolling plains. The artist’s vocal delivery preserves the tenderness and earthy immediacy of Prine’s lyrics, while “mandolin genius” Hull–per Oates–seems to echo those nuanced emotions with undeniable precision and heart.

“I chose to record ‘Long Monday’ due to the evocative nature and down-to-earth beauty of the song’s story,” Oates shares. “I think it’s important to respect a songwriter’s work. Because of that I wanted to remain faithful to the lyrics and melody while, at the same time, making it my own as far as the arrangement.”

On Reunion, Oates channels his roots in the ‘60s folk revival, continuing down the Americana road he started walking with 2018’s Arkansas. Co-written with acclaimed singer-songwriter A.J. Croce, the title track released in early April personalizes this rich heritage with the icon’s inimitable brand of pop grandeur, amounting to a dreamy, stirring folk-rock meditation on self-realization. Beyond Hull and Croce, other high-profile guest spots on the forthcoming album include Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Béla Fleck, who assemble a focused exploration of “love, loss, and personal rediscovery framed in a sonic palate of lush acoustic production,” per the album announcement.

Fans can stream “Long Monday” below and pre-save Reunion here. For more information, visit johnoates.com.

Read on for a complete list of Oates’ 2024 tour dates.

John Oates 2024 Tour
April 4 – The Paramount – Huntington, N.Y.
April 5 – The Palace Theatre – Pittsburgh
April 6 – Knauer PAC – West Chester, PA
April 9 – Harvester Performance Center – Rocky Mount, Va.
April 10 – Paramount Center for the Arts – Bristol, Tenn.
April 12 – Cain Center for The Arts – Cornelius, N.C.
April 13 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta
April 18 – Columbia State Community College – Columbia, Tenn.
April 28 – Dos Lagos Amphitheater – Corona, Calif.
May 2-3 – Musical Instrument Museum – Phoenix
May 7 – City Winery – St. Louis
May 8 – City Winery – Chicago
June 7-8 – Grand Mesa Songwriter Festival – Cedaredge, Colo.
June 25 – Memorial Hall – Cincinnati
June 26 – Agora Theatre + Ballroom – Cleveland
June 27 – Rochester International Jazz Festival – Rochester, N.Y.
August 15 – Cape May Convention Hall – Cape May, N.J.
August 17 – Philadelphia Folk Festival – Philadelphia, Pa.
August 22 – The Newtown Theater – Newton, N.J.
August 24 – The Cabot – Beverly, Mass.
August 25 – Dreamland – Nantucket, Mass.