Album Review: Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (1968)

Not quite as appealing to me as At San Quentin, and no doubt many will disagree with me on this point, but despite some great numbers here, this album still manages to get blown out of the water by the aforementioned album.  For me, At San Quentin feels like the prison recording that this album should be - I'd be bored shitless if I were in the clinks and "Dark as a Dungeon" was being played - but nonetheless, it's still one of the great live albums, even if I do feel it would be somewhat more at home at a music festival than a county clink.  Johnny Cash's uncanny knack for narrative singing is on point here with the likes of "Cocaine Blues" and "25 Minutes to Go", and as far as I'm concerned ,they are the highlights of the entire record.  A very select few popular favorites have been given attention here - "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Got Stripes" the obvious ones here - and "Jackson" and "I Still Miss Someone" are likewise thrown in for good measure.  Some of the best songs from the Man in Black, on one of the best live albums ever put out.  Johnny Cash fans ought to own this album.  Even if you're not one, it's definitely worth checking out if you want to know what all the fuss is about regarding Johnny Cash's music, and it should be mandatory listening for anyone whose experience of Johnny Cash is restricted to his celebrated cover of "Hurt."  A great album, but not his best live offering.  A-

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: Johnny Cash - The Mystery of Life (1991)

Johnny Cash was a legend, no matter which particular era you subscribe to.  Younger people will likely be more familiar with the Rick Rubin-era recordings, thanks to his epic cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt."  But I've always maintained that in order to understand, and indeed appreciate Johnny Cash, you must have heard him at each chronological point in his career.  The Mystery Of Life is one of his more unappreciated and underrated albums, at least in my opinion anyway - Cash always had a way at adapting to new styles and new times, even during his American Recordings tenure, when it was clear that his voice wasn't what it used to be.  His covers and re-recordings were almost always spot on too - as exemplified here by the favorite "Hey Porter" and the Dylan-penned "Wanted Man."  The best versions too, in my opinion.  "Beans For Breakfast" "The Hobo Song" "The Greatest Cowboy of Them All" are awesome as well, as is the title track "The Mystery of Life."  I'm so glad this album is on Spotify.  Check it out, I say.  A-

Album Review: Johnny Cash - American VI: Ain't No Grave (2010)

The late great Johnny Cash, sadly, has been gone from us around eight years now, and even in death his voice still draws in a crowd thanks to the contract he signed with Rick Rubin's American Recordings label. Many of his greatest triumphs, many will say, come from this unusual collaboration with Rubin and Cash. To date, a total of six albums have been produced since 1994, many of them garnering critical appraisal, including the salubrious 2002 offering, American IV: The Man Comes Around. Of course, some of them don't quite rate as highly as IV . For me, Ain't No Grave is something that fills the space in my CD collection better than it fills my time. It simply doesn't hold my attention. Bar the likes of the title track, "Redemption Day", and "Aloha Oe", the songs are just too mellow to be fully appreciated. Tedious is another word that comes to mind, but that is probably too strong a word to describe them. My verdict - stick to the others and you can't go wrong. B-

Album Review: Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man (2000)

Johnny Cash made fantastically good country music, so good that someone like me who usually can't stomach the stuff thinks it's some of the best music ever made. He had a good voice, he could cover a song, he could even write one when he fancied it. And he was prolific, making many albums, writing many songs and covering dozens more to good effect. And he came out with some of the best Gospel and Christmas music you'll ever hear too. But since no one is perfect, including him, he also came out with some career low points as well, and I'm sad to say that American III: Solitary Man is unfortunately one of them. Not a bad album as such, there is a good sense of competence to this album, and tracks #1, #2 and #4 are great, but the rest of the album is in ways a desert wasteland - flat and desolate, yet just short of completely dull. "Country Trash" is a bold, slightly un-PC high point, and "Mary of the Wild Moor" is just aggravatingly melancholic. The others, such as "The Mercy Seat" and "Would You Lay Me Down (In a Field of Stone)" sound like they are about to hit the climatic gravy stroke, but never quite seem to get there. Sadly, an album of mostly fillers. B

Album Review: Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)

Johnny Cash's final record whilst alive is proof that being past what many may perceive as being your vocal prime doesn't bar you from making a respectable album. And many music lovers, Cash fans and (some) critics all universally agree - American IV: The Man Comes Around is one of his most triumphant efforts. His voice may not be what it once was, and some may have to adapt to its gravelly, slightly depressed texture, but after listening to it from start to finish, I'm certainly pleased with my investment. And yes, Trent Reznor's "Hurt" is on this album, at #2. But don't forget about the rest of the record. "Bridge Over Troubled Water", originally by Simon & Garfunkel, still holds (albeit to a lesser degree) that emotional resonance that the original projected, and "Tear Stained Letter" is a reminder that Johnny can still sound like Johnny, even if, as I've mentioned 10,000 times before, his voice is no longer up to it. "The Man Comes Around" also proves that he can still write a song well. "Personal Jesus", "I Hung My Head" and "Danny Boy" all beg to be listened to. So having said that, go ahead and do so. A

Album Review: Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash at San Quentin (1969)

As a kid, I swore that I'd never listen to country music. Ever. To me, it was ample evidence of Satan's previous career as a choir director. Listening to the likes of Conway Twitty or Charlie Rich to me was like picking your nose with a red hot iron building rod dipped in chili sauce, a vile, and very unpleasant experience. The ultimate form of torture, if not execution. But as I got older, this position changed slightly and I began dabbling with a little bit of country music - in this case, Kevin Bloody Wilson. But the fact that it was country music was rapidly overlooked by the profanity and sexual innuendo that peppered every track. Who cared about the country/western theme when you had lyrics that sang about ungrateful Santa-worshiping kids profanely accusing poor old Pere Noel (aka St. Nick, Father Christmas, Santy Claus) of being women's genitalia, and rebuking them for not delivering the goods?

But now, as an adult (and in my case I use the term most liberally), I can now openly admit to enjoying the warblings of Grand Ole Opry's (and Nashville's, of course) finest, without being picked on and teased mercilessly. In fact, one of my three favorite artists includes the legendary Johnny Cash. But enough rambling, and let's get back on track.

In the span of two years (1968-1969), Johnny Cash released two live albums, both recorded in prisons, Folsom and San Quentin, to be exact. His respect for, and ability to sympathize with prisoners is evident on both, as is his newly found Christian faith. The latter, At San Quentin, is in my opinion, and contrary to that of most critics, is the better one of the two. The reason for this simply comes down to a better set list, with songs like "Wreck of the Old '97", "Darlin' Companion" and "Wanted Man" holding much more appeal and charisma than the slightly stale "I Still Miss Someone" the all-too-common "Folsom Prison Blues", and the downright dull "Dark as the Dungeon." Plus, it has a prettier bluish album cover, with it's predecessor being marked down for it's slightly poo-brown aura. Not that it's a bad album overall, in fact it's really a good album. Just not as good as San Quentin, which to me should rightfully be the flagship record for Johnny's discography. The moral of the story - don't dis Willie Nelson, and don't underestimate the brilliance of Johnny Cash. A-