Published on Feb 25, 1997
In an age where country has almost the same flavor as rock and
it’s not unusual for artists like Garth Brooks to top the Pop
charts, leave it to a battle-scarred legend to remind us of the
folk roots of country music.
Johnny Cash, long written off as a relic of an era gone by,
rumbled forth on American a few years back with
American Recordings, and showed the world he ain’t dead yet.
What he did do was produce probably the best record of 1994.
Armed with just his acoustic guitar, Cash was recorded in
extremely intimate surroundings far away from the polish of the
recording studio. Producer (and label owner) Rick Rubin used his
own living room, Cash’s cabin and a live show at The Viper Room to
capture the power of the Man in Black. If U2’s use of his tremolo
vocals on “The Wanderer” didn’t bring him into the focus of
Generation X,
American Recordings sure did.
The opening track, “Delia’s Gone,” is a powerful piece of
country-folk rarely heard anymore, backed with the modern
technology of a video (one endorsed by Beavis and Butt-Head, no
less). Cash’s sparse picking style and the thundering of his voice
brings the listener almost there as Cash tells the story of the
murder of his love.
Cash’s use of songwriters is sometimes surprising. Nick Lowe
(“The Beast In Me”)? Tom Waits (“Down There By The Train”)?
Glenn Danzig (“Thirteen”)? But Cash knows a good song when
he’s heard it, and all the songs seem perfectly tailored to Cash’s
style. Even the humor of Loudon Wainwright III’s “The Man Who
Couldn’t Cry” (captured in live performance) seems like Cash was
born to sing it – even the pseudo-gospel number “Why Me Lord”.
In fact, there is not a bad performance or sagging moment on
this album. Admittedly the music isn’t all smiles and rainbows, but
Cash is able to make it pass so quickly, you’ll want to listen to
the disc again immediately. I wouldn’t have minded a bit if this
one had been a double-album.
Even the cover art seems perfectly suited for Cash – the wear
and tear of his life are seen as Cash waits by the side of the road
with two dogs. It’s almost as if he begs us to figure out what he
is waiting for.
What’s that? You don’t like country, you say? Put aside your
preferences for just 45-odd minutes, and let this one win you over.
I’m not the biggest country music fan in the world – only a small
portion of the now-legendary Pierce Memorial Archives houses any
country music – but I love this album. The copy I have even came
with a reproduction of hand-written musings from Cash on the album
and his life. If you’re lucky enough to stumble on a copy of these,
read them and be wowed.
American Recordings is proof that Johnny Cash is probably
the best musician in his field – there’s a reason he’s been around
as long as he has. Allow Cash to lift your spirit with his tales of
woe and salvation, and experience one of the best albums ever
released.