Anyone who's read MSJ for a while will know that I'm not exactly a country music fanatic. In fact, there was a time when I wouldn't listen to the genre at all. Even now it takes a special artist to get me to enjoy this style. Well, Johnny Cash was one of those guys. When you think about American roots music, you've got to think about Cash. It's no accident that the disc was released on July 4th. As to the country music style, truth be told much of this CD falls closer to folk music and the blues, but in many ways those two styles are closely tied to country any way. These are the last recordings that Cash made. Now there are those who have expressed some trepidation at this release. You see only the vocal recordings were done (at least as I understand it) before Cash's death. The thing is all the musicians who contributed (and the producer) worked with Cash on his last few releases. So, they certainly have a better understanding of where his musical interests in the latter parts of his life lie than most people. Add to that the fact that Cash was intending to work with all of them in turning these recordings into his next album, and you'll see that this is more of a labor of love than any sort of exploitation. This is a really strong album and such a piece of history and Americana that it belongs in just about any music fan's collection. Johnny Cash was a very unique and original man and this is a lasting tribute to his life and his work.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2006 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.