I am a huge Johnny Cash fan, everything from his early Sun sessions thru the hit making machine of the sixties, thru Gospel till… never was that sure about Rick Rubin’s American Recordings with Cash. “Delia’s Gone” sure, maybe the whole of the first album, and “Hurt”? Absolutely. But album in and album out it began to feel like an obligation and I would spin em a coupla times and file em away.
Maybe I’ve missed him.
Or maybe it is just a better album.
But American VI is the best since the first one. “Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound”, “Ain’t No Grave”, “A Satisfied Mind” -these are fine and moving acoustic strums with Cash’s pained and saddened and age vocal carrying it elsewhere.
I’ll have more thoughts at a later date.