Published on Mar 9, 2006
Allow me to put this as delicately as possible;
Unearthed is hands down one of the best musical experiences
I have ever had. Despite the fact that this a collection of songs
by a country artists, despite the fact that all but 15 tracks are
outtakes/demos, despite the fact that this is a massive five-disc
box set, Unearthed blew my mind in every which way
possible.
Unearthed essentially is a collection of songs that
did not make the final cut for Johnny Cash’s American Recordings
series of albums. With the exception of the fifth disc, none of
these songs had seen the light of day until now. If there is one
facet of this disc I cannot speak enough of, it is of the superb
quality of these tracks. Each one of the discs holds up as well as
any album I have heard, going above and beyond what one would
expect from songs that did not make their respective albums.
The first three CD’s of the collection are the meat
of the collection. The first disc contains outtakes from the first
American Recordings sessions, so it’s just Cash and his guitar. The
next two feature Cash backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,
adding some oomph to the bare bones sound that marks a good deal of
Unearthed. For the most part, what little Cash I have been
listening to has been that stripped, acoustic sound, so hearing the
Man in Black rocking along with the Heartbreakers was a shock.
Luckily, the quality of the music doesn’t drop off. The
Heartbreakers complement Cash quite well. Of particular note:”Heart
Of Gold,” “Down The Line,” and “Brown Eyed Handsome Man” featuring
Carl Perkins. Now, these songs are all well and good, but the
standout track of the first three discs to me is a performance of
“Bird On A Wire,” with Johnny backed up by an orchestra. As that
orchestra swells up behind those steady, ragged Cash vocals, boy is
it something.
Perhaps the most touching music on the entire box set
comes from the fourth disc: “Songs From My Mother’s Hymnbook.” Cash
himself proclaimed this album to be the one he most desperately
wanted to record, and that love and dedication shows. Knowing what
Cash went through personally, and then hearing him revel in his
strong faith, brought a perpetual smile to my face as I listened.
Few artists could have encapsulated what these songs talk about,
and Cash is definitely one.
The aforementioned fifth disc is a collection of the
best songs from the American Recordings series, and for someone who
doesn’t own the majority of those albums, it is a welcome addition.
Here is where you will find the big players, like “Delia’s Gone,”
“Solitary Man,” or the brilliant, sorrowful remake of “Hurt.”
Beyond the better-known tracks you’ll find ones of equal worth.
“Rusty Cage” features a driving vocal performance from The Man In
Black, as he belts out each line with such feeling you can’t help
but be riveted. Cash and Rubin also take U2’s “One” and make it
their own. Sorry Bono, but Johnny did you one better.
As one plows through Unearthed, one can begin
to comprehend how well Cash and Rubin cover other artists’
material. I knew most of these songs in their original
incarnations, but after listening to Cash delivering them, it is
like they have been his own for decades. “Redemption Song,” is one
shining example, featuring Joe Strummer in one of the best duets on
Unearthed. Neil Young’s “Pocahontas,” coming from a frontier
man like Cash, is much more potent. June Carter Cash even makes an
appearance, backing up her husband on “As Long As The Grass Shall
Grow.”
At times it becomes hard to keep listening to
Unearthed, as you can hear Cash’s voice slowly
deteriorating. Never is it unbearable, in fact sometimes it makes
the songs more emotional (the best example of this probably being
“Hurt”). The reality is Cash has been singing about life and death
in various ways his entire career, but when facing his own
morality, it adds an authenticity. This is not to trivialize Cash’s
previous work, but I think it makes the material on
Unearthed that more powerful.
There is really not much more I can say about
Unearthed. It takes its place as the best box set I have had
the privilege of listening to. As a final statement from Johnny
Cash, it could not be more fitting. It encapsulates what he all
about. Maybe the hits like “Ring Of Fire” aren’t here, but what you
have instead is the brilliant last decade of music from The Man in
Black.