"Cooders egen «Jesus & Woody», på tampen av albumet, oppsummerer på mange måter dette albumet tematisk: gospel, spirituals, blues - i Woody Guthries ånd, med Jesus ringside (uten at Cooder nødvendigvis er religiøs - han bare verdsetter sangarven). ... Ry Cooder debuterte i 1970, og har gitt ut plater jevnlig siden, med toppene jevnt fordelt utover tiåra ... 26 år seinere er det helt greit at du titter innom igjen, Ry Cooder!"

"Prodigal Son is yet another act of committed intention from one of American music's greatest guardians and purveyors. In its grain, aesthetic pleasure and the will for justice converse and ultimately convince the rest of us to act"

"Ry Cooder never sounded young (even when he was) and has always been about musical craftsmanship and tradition rather than image. Now in his 70s, Cooder's been on a bit of a roll with his recorded output lately and this latest album is the best he's done for decades. There's a strong gospel theme running through it, alongside the political anger that's fuelled a lot of his best recent work ... Vocally, he's never sounded better and it should come as no great shock to anyone that his guitar playing is up to the usual high standard"

"Cooder has said that the album grew out of his 2015 tour with country and bluegrass singer Ricky Skaggs, Skaggs' wife Sharon White, and her group, the Whites. This longtime Cooder fan caught the tour when it came to Carnegie Hall and found it an enjoyable if not entirely satisfying experience. Though the music often was beautiful and always superbly played, the show rarely excited and, with so many religious songs, its piety came to feel oppressive. The white gospel music was tuneful and sincere, but it lacked the emotional fervor, rhythmic force, and passion for freedom and social justice more typical of African American gospel. The Prodigal Son, with its blues, R&B;, and black gospel, is a more varied and engaging venture"