Album Review: Johnny Cash - John R. Cash (1974)

I won't lie when I say I love the music of Johnny Cash.  He's one of my favorite all-time artists, up there with, but not limited to, Bob Dylan and Chris Rea.  He's made some really great songs of his own, and of course, he's done some outstanding cover versions of other people's songs.  Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind" comes to mind here.  And he has also done some impressive versions of traditional songs, such as "My Old Kentucky Home", which is the opening track of this album, and it's by far the best song here.  In fact, the only other song I would bother playing with any degree of regularity would be "Reason to Believe." Whilst not bad as such, the rest of the album comes across as somewhat mild and lackluster.  I won't be falling asleep any time soon, but then again, I won't be dancing across the room, either.  I have heard much better Johnny Cash records than this one.  But I can also expect to hear much worse albums as well.  Meh, it's OK, I suppose.  B

Album Review: Kevin Bloody Wilson - Kev's Krissmas, Vol. 2 (2018)

I very rarely review comedy albums, with the last review being a Robin Williams stand-up album.  However, having been a fan of Kevin Bloody Wilson for nearly 22 years, I had to check out what is his second Christmas-themed album.  And it's a beauty.  It's easily his best album in many, many years, since Kalgoorlie Love Songs, which, for me,was his last great album.  Not that the albums in between were bad, mind you.  On the contrary.  They were all good.  But Kalgoorlie Love Songs was where it was last at for me, Kev-wise.  I still listen to the likes of "Hello John" to save me from having to swear 24/7.  And on this album, the cussing is still plentiful and profound.  "Deck The Halls" is an indelible f***fest, and "Oh Cum By The Face-full" pushes the boundaries of "decency", with pedophilia from a priest's perspective being the theme of the song.  People will complain about this song, more than most KBW songs, of course, but like Kev says, D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F.  "Dingle Berries" adds a scatological element to the album, in keeping with the finest of KBW recording traditions.  And should you wish to induce a heart attack in the most uptight of wowsers, I think this album should do the trick quite nicely.  Bloody brilliant!  A