American IV: The Man Comes Around

One of the most unforgettable, chilling voices in history. An album that is stripped and beautiful, relying on the emotional strength that Johnny Cash's voice is capable of. This album is almost hard to listen to because it feels so imbued with grief and knowledge - you can almost tell that Johnny knows that he is going to die, and this album is a reckoning with the different aspects of a life long lived. While this is a cover album, it feels transformational (like a great cover album should). Songs like "In My Life" sound completely different. It doesn't sound like a bad pastiche of the original artists, but rather the uniquely simple and strong instrumentation and vocals of a country legend. 5/5.

Not me crying in the break room at lunch because Johnny is giving me an existential crisis over the impermanence of life.

The greatest version of Desperado, period (featuring non other than Don Henley on background vocals). A cover of a Nine Inch Nails song that somehow becomes one of The Man In Black's greatest songs (its no longer a Trent Reznor song, it's forever a Johnny Cash song). Cash and producer Rick Rubin come close to doing the same to a Depeche Mode classic. Fiona Apple sings with Cash on Bridge Over Troubled Water. Billy Freaking Preston shows up to tickle the ivories on a couple of tracks. Some of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers contribute, along with a Chili Pepper, Nick Cave, and the great Marty Stuart. But it's still Johnny Cash who makes it all work, his voice huskier than ever, sometimes sounding like he's singing at his own funeral, ready to shuffle off his mortal coil at the end. The ultimate victory lap to cement his legend, the last album released while Johnny Cash was alive. It's the perfect swan song.

I mean... dang. Old Cash beats the pants off of Young Cash any day. These songs, covers and all, are so hauntingly beautiful. You feel the weight of life lived, mistakes made, and perspective gained in Cash's performances. It's a damn near perfect album.

Cash rules everything around me

This album could have been half the length and come across stronger. Some brilliant interpretations, some “this is Johnny Cash covering something”.

Oh I'm just not arsed, Johnny. Just well known songs that aren't really improved. I know it was just before he kicked the bucket and Hurt was all very poignant and that, but...yeah whatever. Sue me.

I think this is one of those rare moments. I must be honest, sacrilegious as I know this is, but much as I admire and respect Johnny Cash for so many reasons, I never really cared to listen to him. It didn't bother me; I just wasn't interested. Well, with this album, forget all that. I feel like this is one of those 'a-ha!' moments when something inside me switched on and now, silly as this might sound, I "get it". I know. Could I be any later to the party? Nothing I can do about that, my friends. Here I am. Brilliant.

First track was better than expected, but nothing else was. And I didn't expect much. Really not a fan of traditional Johnny Cash, and his take on the more modern songs didn't do much for me either - I much prefer the original versions in every case. Bridge Over Troubled Water was particularly painful, especially when the backing vocals come in. Danny Boy has been murdered by many before, and it's good to hear Johnny Cash keep up that tradition. I listened, so at least I can say I gave it a chance, and I definitely preferred this to most of his other music. Still hated it.

It's an interesting album. The sparse acoustic guitar accompaniment goes well with Johnny Cash's voice to make for a haunting, somber tone. My issue with the album is the song selection. Some (Hurt, Personal Jesus, In My Life) work great, but others (Bridge Over Troubled Water, First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Desperado) just don't work for me. They sound awkward and forced. 3 stars.

Amazing. How he takes songs from different eras and dramatically different artists and turns them into his own classic Cash style. His vocal performance and emotional delivery create something magical and knowing it was his last work brings it all to a new realm. I truly responded emotionally and for me that is what true art and performance does.

Wow. So hauntingly beautiful. For an album of covers, this feels incredibly intimate - to the point that it sometimes feels too personal to listen to. The way Johnny Cash delivers these songs and makes them his own is something else. His voice is calm but deeply emotional, and it demands your attention. He's contemplative and retrospective too, as if he's looking back at every facet of his life while saying goodbye through his music. Being my first full-length Cash album, this makes me thankful for this project. What a pleasure listening to this record. I'm only saddened by the fact that I might not be able to play it front to back as much as I want to, because it starts feeling very heavy and emotional at some point. But that's only a testament to how good it is. Standout tracks would have to be Hurt, In My Life, Desperado, & We'll Meet Again, but the whole album is breathtaking.

I watched Walk Hard:The Dewey Cox Story this week and would have loved for Johnny Cash to have covered Beautiful Ride or Let’s Duet on American V

Original NIN version of hurt is way better, bugs me that everyone thinks its a Johnny Cash song First impressions of this album is that it's an album middle aged conservative men love because he sings about good ol american values n shit. Not that I always dislike that but this all sounds too jesus-y for me. Damn he covered personal jesus too, this version sucks more that hurt. Jesus, In My life too, this is the worst cover yet. I hate this man's voice, I get he's trying to sound sad but he just sounds bored. Ok I'm gonna skip the last 3 songs, I've heard enough All of his songs sound the same to me, I'm not a fan

Pretty cool to hear him sing these songs. He seems to really perk up when a song involves shooting someone

good but always the same thing

I was waiting for this album. Dang Johnny, thanks for this last one. Simple, beautiful arrangements. His originals, reworked or not (The Man Comes Around, Give My Love to Rose, Tear Stained Letter) have just as good lyrics and draw you in just as well as any of his other previous songs or versions. His version of Hurt just epitomizes this whole album - stripped down, vulnerable, sad (mostly). I Hung My Head and Personal Jesus are other great examples of how his reworked versions really put a new spin on the original. You have to be in a certain mood for it, but as a concept this album is brilliant, as is his execution.

I love how even though this album is mostly made of covers, Cash makes them sound like they were always his songs to begin with Favorites: The Man Comes Around, Hurt, Personal Jesus, Streets of Laredo

this made me cry. a lot.

Poignant and beautiful. Hurt and Personal Jesus are magnificent examples of what good covers should be. And I love hearing Cash re-do songs with his impossibly gravelly old man voice that he first recorded in the 50s and 60s. Give My Love to Rose is even sadder now! You know how artists will get together and do tribute albums to a musician after they die? I feel like Johnny Cash decided to record one of those for himself, and he killed it.

initial thoughts: why have I never sat down and fully listened to this album, I basically favorited every song on it fav off album: hurt

This is good, but now I'm imagining a Johnny Cash covers album of songs that really wouldn't work as Johnny Cash covers. "Through the Fire and the Flames" by Dragonforce, "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott, "Woodpecker No. 1" by Merzbow. I would pay money to hear some bullshit like that. Alas, rest in peace.

kinda boring - prefer johnny singing country

Boring, uninteresting covers of songs.

One thing about the march of time is that around the 2000s you start getting these last testaments by great acts. You Want it Darker and Blackstar come to mind. But this album is probably the first I think of. A last dance with a legacy act. And country is a fantastic genre for it. Getting old? All the weariness comes forward. Better than that is this album is inventive, covering all sorts of songs including famously NIN, a thing that on paper sounds INSANE but in practice is one of the most devastating performances ever. What an album. 1000% belongs on here even if you dislike it. This is an important fucking album, it says things about life itself dammit hahah

When I first heard Hurt I was in high school and didn't know why we were listening to an old man trying to be cool. Listening now - there is just so much emotion - sadness, longing, love If you can listen to this without feeling something you are a sociopath haha

fav track: i hung my head

A great album. Stripped back versions of great songs in Cash’s very obviously unique style. I enjoyed it a lot

Badass cover album. Even Trent Reznor said Hurt isn't a NIN song anymore, it's Cash's. Also cool that John Frusciante was on Personal Jesus such a jam. As is In My Life. All in all the lows balanced out the highs I mentioned. His voice was insanely good on this though. High 3.

Johnny Cash is one of those guys that somehow gets a pass for most people. The "I don't like country but Johnny Cash is good" crowd. I mean, this isn't even really country. The album that sent a bunch of boomers to Potbelly's to play covers. There's better country, there's better albums, there's just not a whole lot here. It also seems like a big cash grab

Ugh. This was not much an album. It was not memorable and not really singing the lyrics but more of speaking the lyrics. The covers were weird and not good at all. Did this album get added simply because it is Johnny Cash? Yes. Is it dog shit? Yes.

This album could just be his cover of ‘Hurt’ 14 times and I’d rate it a 4. If you search the phrase “hauntingly beautiful”, this album should be the #1 result. Cash powers up his gravelly baritone for one last ride (this would be the last album completed and released in his lifetime; he would die 10 months later, and only 4 months after his wife June), and the tracks play like a man who knows he is nearing the end. It legit feels like he’s holding a living funeral through these songs. While the album is primarily covers, he puts every ounce of emotion he has left into them, making them his own. The songs depict a man reflecting on his life, his regrets, his failings, loneliness, and reckoning with his choices, both good and bad. It’s amazing that he was able to put together one of his best albums just before his death. Listening to this album always makes me cry, and today was no different. The Man in Black truly saved his best for last, and will always be a musical legend. This album will join the top of the pyramid as my tenth 5/5

What is it that makes someone near death produce such poignant music? This is at least the third album I have listened to on this list recorded by a great musician soon before his death, and they have tended to be excellent. And what other artist can say that their sixty-seventh album is among their best? There's a few folk and country songs here that are readily associated with Johnny Cash, but what really makes this album special are the covers of tracks like "Personal Jesus" and "We'll Meet Again." (Even with Cash's voice, I still picture the bombs going off when I hear that track - another enduring image, thanks to Stanley Kubrick.) These meditations on life and death are soulful, devastating, human. Well done, Mr. Cash. Favorite Track: "Hurt"

Album equivalent to Philip Larkin's poem "Aubade": great work by a great artist facing his final years "Being brave / lets no one off the grave. / Death is no different whined at than withstood."

The soundtrack of a life lived full of love and regret. It's truly wonderful.

This album is Johnny Cash at his most powerful and vulnerable. The music is stripped down and simple, letting his voice carry the full weight of the songs. Every track feels honest and lived-in, with lyrics that cut straight to the heart. The covers are brilliant - familiar songs reimagined with such depth that they sound like they were always meant to be his. It's an album about life, faith, loss, and mortality, yet it never feels heavy-handed. Instead, it's moving, intimate, and unforgettable. Cash doesn't just sing these songs - he inhabits them. A masterpiece and one of the finest records of his remarkable career.

Loved it. Spending time to listen to each song is rewarding

A great album by one of the greatest songwriters of his era. A very moving, extremely well done mix of originals and covers that feel like they could be his own. Highly recommended much like the other albums in the American Recording series.

Cash's late imperial phase is dominated by covers, yes, but so was most of his career. Anyway this album is fantastic, not a bad song here.

Great great album

I recently listened to 'At Folsom Prisom', I found it alright but nothing too incredible, as such I didn't expect much from this especially with an older Johnny Cash. I was surprised though to find that I enjoyed it a lot more, his aged voice and slower singing gave the album a melancholy feel throughout that was really nice to listen to, for an album with what is in reality quite the mismatch of songs it felt truly like a concept album. The Man Comes Around was a brilliant opening song and Hurt was a heavy hitter straight afterward. Humourly the beginning of I Hung my Head sounded like Tangled's When Will my Life Begin. Didn't expect Your own personal Jesus, though all things considered it does fit Johnny Cash well. The latter half of the album did falter ever so slightly, the songs not feeling quite so strong as the earlier ones yet they were still enjoyable. Thinking about my ratings it seems that albums by artists I like usually get 4 stars, with 5 being reserved for 'Great Albums' capital G with less emphasis on how much I love them comparatively. Had this album stayed as it did at the beginning it would be a strong candidate for a 5, but with my critique it may be better at a higher 4. Another that I will rest and allow myself to dwell on for a while, who knows if it will change. 80/100

How many cover albums are on The List? This is my fourth album full of covers as I haven't even cracked a hundred yet. I know that this ain't Johnny's first rodeo when it comes to cover albums as this is the fourth in the American series. It is his last recording & it feels that way. Like He Knew. I had stop listening half way through Bridge Over Troubled Water at work because I felt like I was gonna start bawling at any moment. That's how hard this hits. There is a reason why Trent Reznor says Cash owns Hurt now because you can feel that he has lived through all those things even though they are not his words. The legend of Johnny Cash carries that song through emotion & performance. Haunting & also woefully depressing. They aren't are all winners but he still kills it. The stripped down music & well worn voice just adds to the layers of all of it. 4.5

Great covers by Johnny cash. hurt…. What can I say. The songs I knew I liked a lot

I really liked this. Never heard the personal jesus cover that and another i hadnt heard really stuck out. Not a big fan of cowboy songs but they were good

It's 4 stars just for "Personal Jesus" - the rest of the album is pretty good too! Obviously, "Hurt" gets the most attention, but there's a good mix of songs here. Cash's world weary voice fits so well on these albums. Be sure to listen to "Rusty Cage" (on American II) after this.

Not every song works to the same extent. But when a song hits, it really hits. Chills.

Some great covers on here. It was a moment of genius to arrange these songs in this way.

I was so over country albums on this list. Dwight Yoakam yesterday was the final straw. So you can imagine how the first track on this album hit me like a ton on bricks...in a good way. It perfectly tees up his Hurt cover, which although played to death on the radio still gives me the feels. It deserves it's reputation as one of THE great cover versions. That's not to say the other covers on this album are all successes, for me. I don't think we needed am even more morose version of Bridge Over Troubled Water (what a waste of a Fiona Apple cameo), or Danny Boy. Just as I was getting a bit bored I see In My Life come up. Great, someone else who thinks they can improve on the Beatles; that's not just lazy, that's arrogant. Well fuck me what a cover version that is. I nearly had to pull over. Sure it's not as left field as covering Nine Inch Nails and completely changing how that song is seen/heard, but it's the highlight of this album and his legacy cover version for me.

On the cusp of his own demise, Cash creates this album with the skills of his years of artistry to make these songs his own. This is a heartfelt album and even if some of the songs he has chosen are lyrically burdened with sentimentality, he delivers them in his own way giving them all a simple sincerity that only someone looking back at his own life really can. An excellent album.

Neat collection of covers by a legend of country and music in general

Moments of brilliance mingle with very good karaoke. As an ex-fiancé pointed out, the video to “Hurt” is awful. Superstition suggests that my throwing passing shade at Rubin’s comeback industry only yesterday summoned this record, I have to point out that this is one of the fine ones.

American III has the better songs and "Hurt" is way over-played, but this is still pretty awesome [EDIT - gotta' give Johnny props for making "I Hung My Head", an actual Sting composition, sound timeless You can hear the barrel being scraped a bit with some ropey numbers - does anyone really want to hear "Danny Boy", "Bridge Over Troubled Water" or "Desperado"? And, Mark - I take your timely point about the Rick Rubin comeback conveyor, but you could argue the '90s JC revival started with U2's "The Wanderer" (great tune) or "'Til Things Are Brighter" even earlier]

This was interesting. Listening to Johnny Cash sing Personal Jesus is worth a star on its own. I'd listen again but can't say that I loved it.

Some classic Cash sounds and some that felt like they dragged him into the studio and put the lyrics in front of him. "We'll Meet Again" probably my favorite... although "Hurt" is always good.

Man. I don't know what to say. This is heartbreaking to listen to - a fitting swan song for a brilliant career in country-folk music. Johnny Cash's voice is expressive, emotive... just great. The instruments backing his singing make tasteful use of piano, strings, and even guest vocalists (including Fiona Apple in the third track!). If I had to suggest one thing to change, it would be to include more original compositions (fewer covers) and more musical variations between the songs. But really, given the context of the album, I doubt this performance could have been surpassed. 4/5 Key tracks: Hurt, Bridge Over Troubled Water, In My Life, The Man Comes Around

Excellent, but the 3 duets would be better if Johnny handled them alone.

Off the cuff remark: an enjoyable listen but with some real duds. Sorry but the version of Bridge over troubled water is particularly poor. Standout track: title track is fabulous Revisit?: welll I just might, but won't lose sleep if I don't

Some stand out covers amongst some dreary songs. Hurt and Personal Jesus are my favourites

Great concept and cool album. Very neat that it’s his last one. Also, it is just cover songs…

What a treasure of an album. I'd heard "Hurt" before, but most of these I hadn't. And I didn't realize there was a whole series of this. Much respect for you, Johnny ❤️

This is the first Johnny Cash album that's come up on the list for me. I wasn't expecting much, and it managed to slightly exceed those expectations. I appreciate the guy was 70+ when he recorded this, but his vocals weren't very good. Musically it was very sparse, which I'm was an intentional less-is-more approach. I listened all the way through and there were a couple of decent tracks. It's 3 stars from me.

Some bright spots, but with the passing of the years feels a little mawkish in places. There are clearly lots of talented session musos playing on this, and I think that’s half of my problem; I can visualise the wrap-around shades, cowboy boots and general schtick.

This album is overrated imo. Lots of covers that Cash does not add substance to them.

Holy Shit

What a voice

Genial! Alterswerk einer Legende.

I really enjoyed this, I feel like a few of the songs were not original, I'm not sure about this though and can't be bothered to check. Other than that I liked it, 91/100

Awesome reimagining of some great songs by a great artist!!!

9/10 Astonishingly good for an album of covers - I'm not sure if it's the best cover album of all time but I certainly can't think of a better one off the top of my head. Having said that, one of the only Johnny Cash penned songs is probably my favourite: the opener. I was obviously already familiar with the beauty of "Hurt", but there were plenty of other tracks on this album that massively benefitted from Cash's performance. Hell of an album to produce as your 67th and final. Listens: 1

Stunning

the Hurt cover alone clinches the 5. rip johnny <3

this album is beautiful from start to finish. the covers hit so hard, especially hurt. this was the last album released while cash was still alive, and it has a haunting and beautiful quality to it. these are the last fifteen tracks that this absolute legend wanted to share with the world. cash's rapidly declining health and frailty are on full display in the hurt music video, and it's incredibly moving. even trent reznor admits that the song was no longer his after that. simply incredible. 5/5. favorites: literally every single track

Not just this album, but all of the American Recordings are amazing

Highlights: The Man Comes Around, Hurt, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Personal Jesus, In My Life, Sam Hall, Desperado, Wichita Lineman, Big Iron, We'll Meet Again Lowlights: --------------------------------------------------- Wasn't expecting to love this. I like Johnny Cash, I've listened to him basically my whole life, but I've never sat through a whole album. He breathes his own life into every song on this album. I have nothing negative to say or think about it.

My own personal Jesus. A moving and evocative collection of songs as he neared the end of his life. Close to perfection

The man in black. Always the best.

Listen. This album is maybe not as perfect as others that I’ve bestowed a 5 upon. There are some rough moments. But the gravity of this album is astounding to me. It’s wild how different a song like In My Life feels here compared to a when few bright eyed English boys sing it. I appreciate the actual selections just as much as the way they’re sung. It feels like a very personal love letter to 60 years of American(ish) music history. And a good thing he crossed the Atlantic, because this is the best version of Danny Boy out there and I’ll argue that aggressively. Be sure to catch the missing Wichita Lineman and Big Iron. Best farewell album ever.

All due respect to You Want It Darker and Blackstar but Johnny Cash singing the Book of Revelation as his swan song probably takes the cake.

Wsm całkiem niezłe, taki Cohen

All Cash’s late life American Recordings are fantastic, not sure this is the best but it’s the most universal one. One of the reviews on here describes this as “Americana Easy Listening”. I’m not really sure that this counts as country, the close production and song choice feels more rock, but it’s certainly not an easy listening. Mortality pondered by a man at the end of his life, murder, self-harm, questioning faith does makes for very uneasy listening. Johnny Cash (and ABBA) was one of the few concessions made by the Goths I grew up with to wider music world of the people around us. And Rick Rubin must have tapped into the same thing when he put Nick Cave and Nine I nch Nails song in front of him. What emerges is evidence that Johnny Cash is a Sinatra level interpreter of songs. He adds the weight of years lived to Hurt and Personal Jesus. Adding the perspective of age to what were previously adolescent songs. On In My Life Johnny makes me think of the time I was living in “mainland” Britain but returned to my island and was pondering a return. And riding the bus listening to a tape of mid period Beatles. Then it reminded me of feeling detached from home, Johnny makes me think of people I’ve lost touch with due to my decision to return home. And those I’ve lost to death since. Cos death is never far away on this lp. The album ends with We’ll Meet Again. This is a poignant song in the British Isles. It was a big hit during the war and became a symbol of the separation from loved ones in the services. My Nan who died in the 80’s and Mum who’s 90 love it. So for Johnny to make me listen to this song with fresh ears is an achievement and here the perspective is of someone about to be separated from loved ones through death and gaining comfort in their belief in the afterlife. And that was the last song on his last album.

Brilliant album

This is more then just an album of covers. It really feels like his looking back from the end of his life - you really feel the emotion

Strong. Best cover album ever?

Favorite Track: The Man Comes Around

I actually really liked this one! I'm not a huge Johnny Cash fan, but I'm familiar with his music, and this album was sort of chilling since it was the last album released before his death. The spin on the different covers added a uniqueness that I really enjoyed.

beautiful

Really good. Can tell it's him just living his best life in the studio recording some absolutely banging covers.

I didn't think I would like this because I'm pretty meh on this version of hurt (probably because of how much I love the original, and this version just does NOT stand up to me), but every other song on here is amazing

No one will ever sing Hurt better than Johnny Cash

Amazingly good.

Fantastic. Cash's voice is so magnetic and emotional. The choices for covers and the collaborations on this album were ambitious, and it lived up to the hype.

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Ja så idk helt hva jeg forventet fra dette albumet men wow sånn ja mestepsrten er covere eller lowkey kan hende alle er idk helt tror noen er originale men ja fleste er ihvertfall covere men er faktisk så sykt gode sånn what noen er nesten bedre enn originalen altså hurt coveret er jo legendarisk får faktisk frysninger av det og in my life coveret er så fint og bare gud ja og elsker personal jesus coveret det er så rockete og bare trist melankolsk cowboymusikk fra en countrylegende på slutten av sitt liv 5/5

I know it's kind of nostalgic and cliche, and it's a bunch of covers, but for my money The Man in Black sounds as good on his final album as on any of his recordings. A fantastic close to a legendary career, you can hear the miles on the man, and they are captured beautifully on this album. Opening with one of the final songs he wrote, this is a must-have for any Cash fan.

Johnny Cash's last album. I think he was trying to give us what he felt important even as his life was ebbing. Really a 4.5 compared to his earlier albums, but he gets a 5 final from me.

Surprised how much I enjoyed this very mellow

Beautiful, haunting, heartfelt.

This is Johnny Cash's SIXTY-SEVENTH studio album and the last to be released before he died. Most of them are cover versions, but the two originals 'The Man Comes Around' and 'Give My Love To Rose' are also compelling. Some of the absolute very greatest songs of the 20th century are covered here - namely Bridge Over Troubled Water, In My Life, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, We'll Meet Again and Wichita Lineman - in their original format, surely strong contenders for any Top 100 list. Some of these portrayal are better than others - perhaps none of them surpass the originals, that was never the point here - it's a dying man recording songs that he really loves and friends such as Fiona Apple collaborate well. But it's the cover version of the lesser known 'Hurt' by Nine Inch Nails which would get a lot of the plaudits and rightly so. Like most songs on here they are equally heartfelt yet stripped down of a lot of the production - Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus' being another. They are still intricately produced but his vocals take centre stage. Rick Rubin does another impeccable job here. Cash was not a technically great singer, but the fact that he made other great songs still sound great is testament that he was doing something right, and his deep drawl took on more gravitas as he aged. All of these songs have great lyrics and it makes you listen intently in a way that you may not have with the original (such as Sting's 'I Hung My Head'). I could have done without 'Danny Boy' though. This is one of the best cover albums you'll ever hear

This is a super powerful album that I had only heard once before. This is an easy 5/5 despite the fact that I wasn’t crazy about any of the guest vocalists.

Wait this is way better than expected. This guy can stay in Spencer's. "Personal Jesus" cover is great, if I had known Rick Ruben had worked on this I probably would've listened to it sooner. Time to put my cowboy hat back on.