Johnny Cash - American V
Johnny Cash was the Man in Black. Heck, he was THE MAN. He had a gift for revealing himself in his music from the day he laid down the vocals for "Cry, Cry, Cry." His voice is one of if not the most distinguished voices in popular music. I am not a fan of country music, but he transcends it. He became an alternative rocker when he started his American recordings with Rick Rubin. I enjoyed all of those albums. Now, he's passed on for 3 years now, but the last American album has been released.
The Cash on this CD is not the Cash I want to remember. His deep baritone voice is cracking. He died before he could approve the arrangements of this album. Some could say this is cashing in on Cash. I at least disagree on this; I think Cash would have wanted these songs to be released. But they're not for me.
Sure, he does a good job covering a few good songs here, like Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind." But he just doesn't sound the same. You can tell he's dying as he achingly sings every song. The songs he picked all reflect this as well.
The first track on the CD is called "Help Me." In it, Cash sings "Lord, Help me walk another mile, just one more mile, I'm tired of walkin' all alone." It sounds like he can't even make it through the song without help. It's very depressing.
And it's not just this song. In "Like The 309" he sings "It should be a while before I see doctor Death." "Further On Up The Road" has him saying "Got my dead man's suit, and my smilin' skull ring, My lucky graveyard boots, and a song to sing, I got a song to sing, to keep me out of the cold, And I'll meet you further on up the road." Also, in "I Came To Believe" he sings "I came to believe in a power much higher than I," and it sounds like he's preparing to meet him as well.
All the songs on this album are hauntingly sad, and sound like a man ready to die. If you're into that sort of thing, it's a great listen. Myself, I'd rather remember Johnny Cash as the strong-willed man who sang "Ring of Fire," "A Boy Named Sue," "Sunday Morning Coming Down," "Folsom Prison Blues," or even his cover of "Rusted Cage." And if I wanted achingly sad, I'd listen to his marvelous cover of "Hurt."
For further reading:
Johnny Cash's homepage
All Music Guide's Johnny Cash entry
Wikipedia's Johnny Cash entry
The Cash on this CD is not the Cash I want to remember. His deep baritone voice is cracking. He died before he could approve the arrangements of this album. Some could say this is cashing in on Cash. I at least disagree on this; I think Cash would have wanted these songs to be released. But they're not for me.
Sure, he does a good job covering a few good songs here, like Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind." But he just doesn't sound the same. You can tell he's dying as he achingly sings every song. The songs he picked all reflect this as well.
The first track on the CD is called "Help Me." In it, Cash sings "Lord, Help me walk another mile, just one more mile, I'm tired of walkin' all alone." It sounds like he can't even make it through the song without help. It's very depressing.
And it's not just this song. In "Like The 309" he sings "It should be a while before I see doctor Death." "Further On Up The Road" has him saying "Got my dead man's suit, and my smilin' skull ring, My lucky graveyard boots, and a song to sing, I got a song to sing, to keep me out of the cold, And I'll meet you further on up the road." Also, in "I Came To Believe" he sings "I came to believe in a power much higher than I," and it sounds like he's preparing to meet him as well.
All the songs on this album are hauntingly sad, and sound like a man ready to die. If you're into that sort of thing, it's a great listen. Myself, I'd rather remember Johnny Cash as the strong-willed man who sang "Ring of Fire," "A Boy Named Sue," "Sunday Morning Coming Down," "Folsom Prison Blues," or even his cover of "Rusted Cage." And if I wanted achingly sad, I'd listen to his marvelous cover of "Hurt."
For further reading:
Johnny Cash's homepage
All Music Guide's Johnny Cash entry
Wikipedia's Johnny Cash entry
Labels: Gordon Lightfoot, Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin
posted by Tom at 10:28 PM
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