American IV: The Man Comes Around

It’s a funny one this. You gotta respect Johnny Cash for the artist he is whether you like country or not. It’s an album of covers of which some I hadn’t heard the originals and those are the ones I found ok. Some of the ones I knew were a bit questionable but one or two I thought were excellent. At the end of the day, after all he gave to the world of music maybe he earned the right to be a bit indulgent and record some of his favourites or songs that were poignant to him at the time.

As usual, the writing on this record was exceptional; however, I wasn't able to fully engage with it musically. Favourite Track(s): Hurt Least Favourite Track(s): Desperado

3⭐️/5 01.12.2026

I dont native english speakers, but i thik teksts of this songs is very good and deep. But its not my cup of tea. I like high orchestical vocal. So this album is good, but not for me

He is such a good story teller! Didn’t like his covers of songs as well as originals though

mid

I was really ready to enjoy this, but apart from the the obvious (Hurt), none of these really grabbed me as much as I was hoping for. Glad to have listened though!

Love Johnny Cash, but not so much the Rick Rubin era. Feels like they erase taking advantage of JC when he was vulnerable.

This is an album that gets more love than it should because it was released soon before his death. There are a few highlights but most of it is fair to middling. I've never loved his version of Hurt and honestly the first three American Recording albums are better

Not my genre but good artist anyway

Couple of good tracks

Honestly not my cup of tea

This felt extremely personal to Johnny Cash and was very reflective. Top Songs: In My Life, Hurt, I Hung My Head

Johnny Cash sounds less like a performer and more like a witness—to faith, regret, death, love, and the end of the road. Rick Rubin strips everything down so Cash’s voice, age, and truth are unavoidable. Every crack in his voice adds weight, not weakness.

If someone had asked me what dying cowboy songs like prior to listening to this, I would not have an answer. This album is the answer. It’s heartfelt, sorrowful, and yet there is a sense of completion. Feels like grandpa’s last message.

Not really my kind of thing but I would be lying if I said it didn’t bring on the feels while I was eating my breakfast

3.5+

First time listening, very impressive work, never thought I’ve accepted it

I like his deep voice that he has

This album feels very nostalgic, like something that somebody would sing around a campfire or songs that would play in the background of a movie montage. I wasn’t particularly a fan of the talking points during the songs, but I enjoyed the overall vibe that the album brought. As a gravity falls fan, it was a jumpscare to hear We’ll Meet Again. That along with Bridge Over Troubled Water were my two standout songs from the album.

Didn’t expect all the covers but it was fun

Very repetetive songs, bet labas.

The first half of the album was very entertaining. I haven't listened to much music like this, but I enjoyed the intimate feel of each song. Much of the album felt incredibly vulnerable and raw. Towards the second half of the album, the novelty started wearing away but it was still enjoyable. I don't think I would reach for this again,

A solid 3.5 for me. No other track quite reaches the heights of Hurt, in my opinion, though I found Bridge Over Troubled Water and Danny Boy very beautiful. A great album, and I'm glad it's on the list.

Thought I would like this more than I did. This version of Hurt is iconic. I can remember how impactful it was when it came out. A great version the song. But others didn’t work for me. I thought Personal Jesus stripped out a lot of what makes that song great. Desperado was…fine. Just not sure I can go super high for an album of covers. 2.75

Slow album, mainly storytelling. A lot of classics.

I was not excited for this :( but here I am - very dedicated to this project! I know Johnny Cash and to be honest I need to lock in! Fucking hell very grim, to release this before he died and to have such acceptance of death, the lyrics are phenomenal, he really poured his heart into this one! Glad I had the opportunity to hear it. 3.5 if I could but also didn't find it to be 4 stars for me personally.

Love some J.C. great covers, distinct voice.

The covers on this album range from sublime and iconic (Hurt); radio 1 live long quality (Personal Jesus); and faintly ridiculous (Danny Boy). I’d have limited these to the best and then folded in some of the old favourites from his back catalogue, brought to life with his seasoned older voice. Having said that - how sensational is The Man Comes Around? A Cash original and the best song on American IV by yonks. This song alone justifies the collection.

bunch of standard covers. Idk why this is on this list I mean its interesting to see that its four in a row, proves an interesting range.

Melancholy. If he was aiming for us to feel beside him in his final hours, then he succeeded.

i get why it exists

This album is worth it just for the cover of Hurt. The rest is a mixed bag with some that work well and others that are just interesting or OK.

Utter respect for the guy, though musically not in the same frequency. 7/10

i honestly prefer Bob Dylan over Cash ;)

3 excellent songs. Really touched my heart. Favorite was hung my head.

Fine, not really for me. I get it.

I prefer the sparse nature of the first album in this series. I think the magic slipped a bit more with each album following that first American release. Too much instrumentation here and the song selection is weaker. I still bought though, haha.

found a song i want played at my wedding

Enjoying it 🤠

Is he okay

The start is great. Love his voice. But further in the album it becomes too country for my taste.

Album Rate: 6,7/10 The Man Comes Around: 9 Hurt: 8,5 Give My Love To Rose: 8,5 Bridge Over Troubled Water: 7 I Hung My Head: 8 First Time I Saw Your Face: 7 Personal Jesus: 7 In My Life: 7 Sam Hall: 7 Danny Boy: 5 Desperado: 5 I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry: 4 Tear Stained Letter: 6 Streets Of Laredo: 6 We’ll Meet Again: 5,5

What a sad, dark, melancholic record. My first Johnny Cash album was the one recorded at Folsom Prison and it was quite joyful and funny. But these are the songs of an old, dying man having all kinds of regrets and longing - even if it’s covers. He decided to do these covers. The song Hurt is incredible. It’s so profound, beautiful and touching it made me stop in my tracks because I was surprised by this greatness. I also liked We‘ll Meet Again. A great ending for this record. However, the rest of the album was not quite as great in my honest opinion. 3 stars.

A mixture of beauty and sometimes sounded like an old man singing karaoke. Which i guess is what it is

This is a special record, of course, with some really great covers that improve on the originals. It's also too long and monotonous with very little variation, so I was kind of glad when it was over.

Pleasantly surprised. I’m not big on country, but i really enjoyed a lot of parts of this album. I found the second half to be a bit boring, but overall pleasant experience.

So I learned that I'm not that big a fan of Cash with this one, so whilst I can tell they this is a Good Album it just didn't resonate with me.

It wasn't so good as I remembered, but still class.

An excellent series of albums; the highlights are particularly strong on this one ("When The Man Comes Around," "Hurt"), though I prefer I and II as albums since this one has a few clunkers ("In My Life," "Bridge Over Troubled Water") and is hampered by its unencumbered length.

bit of a drag at the end but whatever

Bare bones record. I enjoyed the takes on non traditional cover tunes as well as the closer “We’ll meet again”. The tone of this album is generally sad, then it ends rather hopeful.

it's johnny cash yall

Not a huge fan of cover albums, sing your own songs. At least he does it well. Needs some range, gets old after 5 or 6 songs.

5/10

Difficult one to review, given that Mr Cash was close to his end. Some well-done covers (Hurt, I Hung My Head, In My Life, Personal Jesus) but some that were quite painful to listen to (Bridge Over Troubled Water, First Time Ever I Saw Your Face). Ending on 'We'll Meet Again' very poignant. 3/5.

It’s good, I just got bored and tired. Hurt is a 5/5. This album feels front-loaded. Either that or I just got worn out and later songs melded.

Hurt, and its accompanying video, is a spectacular piece of work, amplified by the subsequent death of June. The other covers on the album do well to reframe the originals, though some of them are stylistically too close to their original. The album is too long - it would have been better cutting off the last five tracks. As much I enjoyed the majority of the album, I am loathed to give it more than 3 as it is mostly a covers album so I can’t give credit for songwriting.

I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated I would. I'd listen again.

Hurt is arguably the greatest swan song of all time and it’s one of the best cover songs ever done, crazy to think he was dead within the year of shooting the music video. Hadn’t really listened to the rest of the album before, you can really hear the emotion throughout. However I don’t feel the rest of the album really stood out as much as Hurt

Johnny Cash doing a bunch of covers of popular songs is kind of cool. I do like and respect his version of "Hurt", but sorry, it's nowhere close to as good as the original by NIN. Overall, I liked the album, but don't need to hear it again. Am I glad I heard it before I die? Yes. 3.25 / 5 stars

Better than expected. The title track is genuinely brilliant

I remember the Johnny Cash resurrection and how big these albums were when they came out. This was the best of them and Hurt made me rethink Cash & NIN. Love the raw delivery and vulnerability you heard in an artist who was so much bravado for so long. A solid listen even though I would never think to listen to this.

This album contains one of the most beautiful songs I know. For years I even considered it the most beautiful — a position I no longer defend quite so fiercely, especially since another Cash track from the same series is now a strong contender. But let’s be clear: one transcendent song does not make for a great album. And this is not a great album. A step back. This is the only entry in the book from Cash’s ‘American’ series, the career-reviving collaboration with Rick Rubin that began in 1994. Cash, 62 and recovering from drug addiction, had drifted far out of view. Rubin — the man who had launched everyone from LL Cool J to Slayer — asked him to record for his newly renamed Def American label. The pairing was unlikely, the success extraordinary. Cash suddenly found an entirely new audience, especially among the culturally left-leaning Americana adopters I mentioned before. And as these things go, one successful album became four, then five, then six; this one was the last released during his lifetime. Which makes it all the more puzzling that this part of the series is the one included in the list. For what it’s worth, every other entry in the American cycle is rated higher by allmusic.com — and I tend to agree with them. The only plausible explanation is that this album contains that astonishing high point. The whole concept of the series was simple: give Cash stark, minimally arranged songs — sometimes classics, often not — and let that impossibly deep, weathered baritone do the rest. In this case, Nine Inch Nails’ rather unremarkable “Hurt” becomes, in Cash’s hands, something genuinely overwhelming. The video, with its foreshadowing of June Carter’s death, only heightens the effect. It’s a masterpiece. The album, unfortunately, isn’t. It starts well: a punchy “The Man Comes Around,” then Hurt, then “Give My Love to Rose,” which adds little to earlier versions but does no harm. And then the record veers off a cliff. Covering “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is already risky, but Cash’s version — a duet with Fiona Apple — is catastrophic. I’d listened to some of her much-praised debut out of curiosity, and it seemed fine. But here? To borrow my partner’s reaction when I played it for her: she insisted she could record duets with Johnny Cash, because she could not possibly sing any worse. And trust me, the bar in our household is low. Things recover briefly: Sting’s “I Hung My Head” works, and so does “Personal Jesus.” But much of the rest suffers from the same fatal flaw: the tempos drag, and Cash seems unable to find the right phrasing. He is one of the greatest singers modern music has produced, yet on this record even he repeatedly misses the mark. “In My Life” — that simple, beautiful Beatles classic — is a complete misfire. “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” is lifeless. And then come the real duds: a plodding “Danny Boy,” a strangely inert take on Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” (even Nick Cave can’t salvage it), and finally a closing “We’ll Meet Again” that sounds like the forced sing-along on a school trip bus. So yes: “Hurt” is absolutely extraordinary, one of the most moving recordings I have ever known. But an album is more than one perfect song, and this album simply isn’t good. Why not include the first American record instead — fresh, revelatory, and far better executed?

Must admit that on a day when I’m in Prog Rock ecstasy following the release of two new albums by Lunatic Soul and Gazpacho today I had little time to listen to this album. Fortunate that I knew most of the songs and as I skipped through it sounded like Mr Cash had made a decent job in his interpretation of them. A world away from these two new releases of course and where my true music allegiances lie but I always tip my hat to Johnny Cash for what he contributed to music if not always to my liking. 3/5 31/10/25

This was quite enjoyable. I knew some of the Cash “revival” recordings but never listened to a full album before. I especially liked his versions of “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Danny Boy.” I’m having trouble giving this a rating. I think the whole album is solid, but I don’t think I’ll be returning to all this material. This is right on the line, 3.5. I know some might feel it’s sacrilege to give this less than 4 stars, but today I’m rounding down.

gfallt mer kli besser als at folsom prison aber trozdem ned 100% mis

Preferred the earlier American Recordings

It's good. I mean it's the man in black. I love the production of his vocals in particular. They're raw, vulnerable. It's an old man whose warble is apparent. He's not long for this world and he knows it. There are some really fantastic covers here. Unfortunately there are some that just don't do much on it as well. It's so close to that 4 star rating for me, but doesn't meet that "will I reach for this album again" threshold. 3.8

Some solid enough songs but I can’t rate an album of covers all sang in the same style higher than 3

Entspannend. Gute entspannte Mukke. Ozzy schockt mehr, aber nicht ganz so ruhig.

Some good covers here and some not so good, mainly because they are crap songs. Hurt is the obvious standout, but a few others are good as well. Personal Jesus is pretty good.

Look I really like Johnny Cash, I think he’s one of the most underrated song writers, and there is a very famous cover of hurt on this album, but in saying that there are only 2 originals and one of them was originally recorded 50 years previous to this album. My usual feelings are that albums featuring mainly covers are not as groundbreaking as majority original material. I do like most of the renditions though to be fair.

Cool.

A bunch of good covers. Appreciate that Cash was able to produce some great music in his late age free from the young drugged and famous career.

I'm mostly familiar with Cash's classic albums of the 60s/70s/etc. Never really cared for cover albums, even with the Hurt cover being a focal part of it. The last album an artist ever releases (while they are still alive) can often leave the biggest impact for their presence not just on earth, but as a musician's final will and testament. Think of Bowie's Black Star or Tom Waits last album (as of time of review writing): it's hard to admit you're giving your final word and the approach of it, which explains that these are all songs (aside from the intro, which Cash wrote) are all covers. Johnny doesn't have much else to add, but will like to make various shoutouts to musicians many wouldn't think he would have time to listen to or otherwise appreciate at the end of life: covering stuff like Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode, along with the covers of songwriters and folk/country musicians of his time. For me, it's amazing how much his cover of NiN's Hurt is one of the biggest songs Johnny Cash has ever recorded. We're talking about a man with a whole line of country standards: Ring of Fire, Boy Named Sue (a cover, though the Folsom performance is just that iconic), I Walk The Line, The Man In Black, among many others. You can hear throughout the album that Cash doesn't have a lot of time left on this planet, his voice more gravelly than it ordinarily is. Cash would pass away a year later, recently widowed with the loss of the love of his life, June Carter Cash. For my own personal tastes, this record is so slow (naturally, but I like stuff a little more faster than my resting heart rate). Impactful, yes. Not denying the legacy of this record or its appearance in the 1001+ albums (could be a bubble pick but ultimately does have enough of a lasting impact). Of course the slowness makes sense, a settling down atmosphere for a music legend. It works for something like In My Life. Not much else to add after that. Good record.

These Rick Rubin albums were a big deal when they came out but I never really checked them out at the time so am glad to have the chance to hear this one now. Funny to get served this just a couple days after San Quentin, where I noticed some reviews complained about his shitty voice, because he sounds so much worse here and yet no one seems to mind. Time and age change expectations, I suppose. Listening to this encourages me to cynically imagine Rick Rubin pimping out Johnny Cash to all his musician friends having their own superstar fantasy camp opportunity to sing a song with him or hear him run through one of their tunes. Even when I'm not feeling so cynical I have a funny feeling that we're hearing here everything they recorded and that pretty much everything was done in one take....still, it's The Man In Black, and that's worth something. Sounds like a fun project to be a part of but didn't do a lot for me as a listener, certainly not approaching the altitude of his 1960s work.

Nice album, very talky

I listened to the original LP release (17 tracks). Just like the Leonard Cohen albums we heard earlier, young Johnny Cash sings much better than old Johnny Cash. Johnny had lots of health issues when he recorded this, so I’ll give him a break on his voice. My biggest problem is that although Johnny selected very good songs to cover, the original versions were better. But I’ll give him credit for the concept.

This was fine. It didn't elicit any feels for me like it seems to for others. I enjoyed the minimal instrumentation on most of the tracks. That really put the focus on Cash's vocals and those seemed more strained with age.

I accidentally rated Isaac Hayes with the review I meant for this one

6,33

I’ll be honest I’m a bit disappointed in this. Obviously “Hurt” is a masterpiece, genuinely one of the greatest covers ever, but the rest of this (long) album is kind of trying to do “Hurt” over and over, with varying degrees of success. The songs feel less like songs suited to Cash, and more songs chosen for the sort of meta story they’re building relating to his life. Some songs (especially story songs) he still excels at and seems to be having a great time. “Personal Jesus” and “My Life” sound like someone stuck the lyrics in front of him approximately two minutes before hitting “record.” Also, I know he was very old and his voice was never great, but man, the autotune done on him here is bad. And 2002 autotune so it’s especially noticeable. High notes are suuuuper robotic. Also that Don Henley duet is awful. Clearly they were never in the room together, their voices don’t mesh. Rubin has mixed them so terribly it just sounds like fuzzy noise. Embarrassing job for a professional! Also lol the guy who made this list managed to sneak another appearance from Nick Cave onto the list with his duet with Cash here! Sneaky sneaky!

Although I love Johnny Cash I think the other album in this series, which has a cover of Loudon Wainwright's The Man Who Couldn't Cry, is far superior. Of course everyone knows the incredible cover of Hurt from this album but other covers fall flat for me. Always a timeless voice but the material he is doing doesn't really do him justice on this record.

6/10 - I'm a big fan of Johnny Cash but this came across as very depressing, Hurt is a great song though

It is ok- I like other albums from him better

Admittedly, the only Johnny Cash song I’ve ever sat down and listened to in full is A Boy Named Sue. I’ve listened to snippets of Hurt when it’s been used in a programme or film, so i was looking forward to just being able to focus on it. I’m torn on this album. It starts off incredibly, The Man Comes Around and Hurt are just fantastic and I could listen to them over and over. But then we get to halfway through the record, and First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Danny Boy had me wanting to turn it off. Maybe 15 tracks at 52 minutes is too long. After track 5, I’m struggling to get through the rest of the songs. It could have been cut down by a third. But… then I’m back at the first two tracks of the album. Those two songs on their own would be enough for five stars. The rest of the album, however, I’m going to have to go for three. Standout tracks - The Man Comes Around and Hurt

kingof pain

It's a really long album full of Johnny Cash covering other songs. Some are strikingly beautiful, others are Johnny Cash covering a song. A few songs stuck out here (I liked the Hurt cover especially) but overall it didn't really move me.

Really enjoyed the album altough it's not my genre. Het album klonk als een geheel. But every song was unique. I really enjoyed his voice and the little stories his songs told. I didn't add any song to a playlist but I did listen to the album twice. 2nd time I could actually sing along to some parts of some songs. Edit: It has come to my attention that most of the songs on this album are covers, which most are literally a copy of the original... I'll still give it a 2,5.

I found it a little heavy going and little contrived at points, but overall I enjoyed it. It struck me that under Rick Rubin this album could have been overblown in every area, and I really like the fact that it wasn't. The sound and feel is warming. I'm not sure how many times I'd return to it though, as an entire body of work at least.

I really like this album. Maybe it's because of coming off of three days of metal but it's simple, deep and enjoyable.

Better than I was expecting. I guess the it makes the list because it’s such an interesting idea for a legend like Cash to record these stripped down versions. But, I really like the older Cash stuff better.

A great album but I prefer the originals more in general. This album is mostly impressive due to the longevity of Cash's career (67 albums over 50 years.)

I remember how white old dudes were creaming themselves over this album when it came out. Considering I was very young at the time I'm glad to get the opportunity to listen to it now I too am middle aged. This is a very gently played, affecting album. Johnny Cash sounds wonderful, you can hear the years in his voice. Very interesting choice of songs. His version of NIN's Hurt is kinda devastating. I doubt I'll listen to this again though.

Cashes version of Hurt is brilliant.

The covers get a little bit silly by the end of this album. Johnny Cash owns Hurt though, that feels more like Cash than Trent Reznor. But I could easily have gone without hearing the Johnny Cash versions of Personal Jesus or In My Life. This Rick Rubin production is interesting and I'm happy to have listened to it, but other than Hurt, I can't see myself coming back to this.

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would

Best track: the man come around, and personal Jesus Good album, some good song, and some to slow 3,5/5

Covers are best when they completely reimagine a song and bring something new and unexpected to it, rather than simply deliver a faithful rendition. Johnny Cash certainly does that here on songs like the stunning “Hurt” and his deeply personal spin on Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus.” Both also win bonus points for being surprising picks by the grizzled country legend, a hallmark of this collaboration series with Rick Rubin. Other songs, like “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and the Beatles cover, work less well because they hew closer to expectation. Also, the guest vocal cameos here — Fiona Apple, Don Henley and Nick Cave — mostly don’t work and highlight the challenge of pairing with Cash’s plaintive, speak-sing baritone. The album finishes relatively strong with country standards and an original, but on the whole this is an uneven effort.

Is the album good? Yes. Is it in my top three covers albums? No, that would be 1. Cat Power - The Covers Record 2. Elf Power - Nothing's Going To Happen 3. Not sure but not this.

I like this when he does unexpected songs like Hurt or Personal Jesus, but less when he does Danny Boy. Nice shout out to Nick Cave (guest vocalist on one song) that Cash uses the biblical phrase "kicking against the pricks", which is also the title of a nick cave LP.

I really liked this album but I dropped a point for that bridge over troubled water cover because it was not it.

It's okay. Would be 2.5

3.5

It’s hard to say because the music here has been played and known so I can’t make a new assessment. There are classic songs here. His rendering of “hurt” by Trent Rezner is awesome but does it move the needle forward. Overall I think this is a three.

Starts off well, and then kind of withers out. with the exception of hurt and maybe personal Jesus, the covers are strengthened by the quality of the songwriting as opposed to what Cash has done with them. Standout Song: Hurt obviously. 3.5 Stars

The frailty of Johnny’s voice is terribly affecting, which is why “Hurt” works so well. Song choice is so important here- and most of them are hits. This is a great record to put on any time. THREE STARS

I definitely appreciate Rick Rubin bringing Johnny Cash back to relevance and the fact that this record introduced his music to a new generation but I find these American records pretty boring. Production is way too clean and just makes me want to listen to old Johnny Cash records.

The Man Comes Around - 6.5/10 Hurt - 7.5/10 Give My Love To Rose - 7/10 Bridge Over Troubled water - 7/10 I hung my head - 6.75/10 First time ever I saw your face - 7/10 Personal Jesus - 7/10 In My Life - 8/10 Sam Hall - 8 Danny Boy - 8/10 Desperado - 8 So Lonesome I Could Cry 8/10 Tear Stained Letter - 8 Streets Of Larado - 9/10 We’ll Meet Again - 10/10 74/100

basicamente uma coletânea de covers escolhidos a dedo. não curto muito, mas acho que deu um significado interessante visto que eh o último album dele em vida. eh. bem johnny cash mesmo. vou dar 3 estrelas pelo teor sentimental bad vibes que esse aqui trás. que deus o tenha.

forestiller mig at grunden til at det er blevet en del af listen er fordi coversangene og perioden i hans eget liv giver det rigtig meget tyngde. Tror også specielt hurt har en særlig plads her, fordi den originalt er sunget af nine inch nails som et produkt af drug overuse, hvor Johnny er gammel og det er mere er refleksion over livet og alle omkring ham forsvinder (fordi han er gammel). Kan huske jeg læste at Trent razor havde sagt han synes det var lidt kedeligt, indtil han havde set musikvideoen og forstod hvordan sangens betydning ændrer sig fordi det johnny som synger den. God musikvideo. Det er americana hvor der er fokus på de akustiske instrumenter og enkelt instrumental. Countryfolk og en smule gospel inspiration. tror det er et album som kræver et revisit engang, når man kan relatere endnu mere til teksterne. vil nok sige 3,5 for mig

It wasn't as interesting as the pervious album. The songs in the beginning were good and the last song was great (though it was giving "you've got a friend in me").

Legendary voice and a legendary send-off. Not always my cup of tea and gets a bit tedious by the end, but when he hits (Hurt, In My Life, Personal Jesus, etc.), it's really special.

Starts strong but gets pretty meh after a while. The Man Comes Around might be my favorite Johnny Cash song.

I don't love this album. I love Johnny Cash and appreciate him and some of these songs are really great, but others are not very good at all. I know it was his last album but I wouldn't say this is his best work.

This was real easy to listen to. There's something in the way Cash delivers that I've always been a fan of. I grew up listening to A Boy Named Sue, and then the Walk The Line movie came out and a deeper appreciation followed. This feels like a more humbled project, but that could just be the aging tremble in his voice. The lyrics, as should be expected, hit really hard. There's a handful of tracks I don't find myself loving, but the good ones are SO GOOD. Hurt is on this album, hard not to give the track its own 5/5. That doesn't make up for areas where the music wasn't speaking to me, and a cultural difference might have something to do with that. 3.3/5

Johnny Cash is in his own league. country/rock/pop in an excellent songwriting. Very pleasable hearing. BUT not that favorite of mine.

Very sad and slow (mellow). I would definitely listen to it on a rainy day and Johnny Cash is such a legend. I loved give my love to rose, such a beautiful story Solid 3.5/5

Pre-listening thoughts: I have a good feeling I already know what this is going to sound like. But the one thing I do hope for because this is later in Johnny Cash's career that this isn't like the Leonard Cohen album from 2016 cause that was atrociously bad. Post/during listening thoughts: this is sort of like the Willie Nelson album we got. Lots of covers done very stripped down. Although this one has Fiona Apple on backing. Something about hearing an old Johnny Cash sing is making me sad though. I'm not even like a fan of him, this is the first work I've ever heard by him. But it's like looking at the handwriting of someone you love who has passed away. I can't really explain it any more than that. Anyways, this is good. Slow, but good. I'm not sure it's the type of music I would revisit often especially because most of these songs are covers and I like the original better. But I do appreciate the covers on this album for being clear reimaginations instead of imitations. 6.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: nah Fav tracks: Hurt, In My Life Least fav tracks: Sam Hall

Its ok

Very distinctive voice and I enjoyed it. Feel like I can’t give more than 3 to an album of mostly covers even though he did do his own thing with them

His covers of Hurt (obviously), First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Bridge Over Troubled Waters are so damn good but second half faded into obscurity for me. Solid 3/5.

I tried, I really did. In the end, I’m just not the audience for Mr. Cash. His music does nothing for me, and I find myself just bored and annoyed.

Very nice, obviously his voice isn’t what it once was, but great work nevertheless

the title track's cool, and he makes something great out of nin's pissbaby song. of the rest, the folkier numbers fare better than the pop covers. despite the sentimental production and the presence of some godawful guests (fiona apple, nick cave, john frusciante, don henley), i do have a soft spot for this. 'cause it reminds me of my dad. covers i wish he had recorded before he died: dan johnston's "speeding motorcycle" smashing pumpkins' "bullet with butterfly wings" jonathan richman's "pablo picasso" roky erickson's "i walked with a zombie" john lennon's "oh yoko"

Цікаво як Джонні Кеш (з допомогою Ріка Рубіна) зміг наприкінці життя оновити свою кар'єру. Колись випадково в секонд-хенді, здається гривень за 20, купив собі його автобіографію, написану доволі відверто. В цій книзі він детально розповідав про сесії для амерікани й напевно об'єктивно четвертий альбом є найкращим, у першу чергу через вдалий кавер на НІН. Десь напевно на початку десятих в нашій тусовці модним було слухати ці альбоми, але скажу відверто що я майже не повертаюсь до них. Тому і ставити високу оцінку не буду.

never listened to this wholly, but know nine inch nails' 'hurt' cover is on it. we'll see how it is! edit: it was good! a lot of covers, which i slowly put together. not necessarily my thing, but did enjoy a lot of what he sand. someone between three and four stars for me.

A good album, but overall not an outstanding album of covers. Hurt is the standout and most famous track, but overall perhaps a little uninspired.

I love his voice! Don’t think I have heard anything like it before. Lots of covers (apparently), which sound amazing. My dad wanted me to learn to play Hurt on my guitar. I couldn’t.

Real good slow country album. I prefer his older stuff but I like this one and really love the covers, especially Personal Jesus.

ok

This is a typical example of an album I like listening to, but can't give a super high rating. After all, it's only a covers album and if it wasn't for Cash's interpretation and voice (which I happen to love) it wouldn't be very special, musically.

Hurt does a lot of heavy lifting to make this a ‘classic’ album. ‘The Man Comes Around’ is great too - the rest just feel like pretty nice covers. The Rick Rubin production gets predictable too.

Solid album

Muy lindo album, melancolico, intimo Fue como escuchar a mi abuelo, si alguna vez hubiese sido un vaquero narrando sus vivencias, pero en un contexto moderno El cover de personal jesus es malísimo lamentablemente 6/10

Very good.

Ganske udmærket album. "Hurt" er vokset på mig.

Loaded with covers and morbid as a funeral, but I made it through.

Those were really nice covers. We'll Meet Again gave me chills. Rest in peace.

I know many people consider this album as a testament of some sort and it's true that it's touching to hear him sing some of those songs, but honestly I can't get behind some of the covers here. Even the ones I was most excited to hear (In My Life, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Personal Jesus) didn't do much for me. Still, there are some really beautiful moments here and his cover of Hurt has become legendary for good reason. But this is not a Cash album I'd want to go back really often.

Thought it would be worse for so late in the career

A country singer singing non-country songs. I don’t like country music. It doesn’t resonate with me, both culturally or geographically. However, there are some songs I like elsewhere covered well here. I like NIN and I like Hurt. I like this cover. I like Depeche Mode and I like Personal Jesus. I like this cover. However, there are other covers that simply don’t work, with Danny Boy being a prime example. This was therefore a mixed album for me. It’s not Fulsom Prison, but it’s ok. 3 stars.

Not my thing

Johnny cashed in his check and left me wanting more.

It's chill but nothing wow for me

not bad.

Came around on The Man Comes Around

Nice songs, liked it for a chill afternoon

Thematically - sounds like his dying album, his lonely hurrah but anticipating death

Great start, but eventually the latter part it gets bland for me.

Mid 3 I think? Not my vibe but some nice moments

3.4

I think Johnny Cash's voice sounds wonderful on this album. I already knew Hurt and its incredibly affecting video. Not every song is to my taste, but the depth and emotion is never in doubt. A powerful record.

iconic voice, feels emotionally impactful... strangely a lot of songs about killing someone.......... lol?

Sentimentally, 5 stars, right? But really, at best, there's some good (not great) tracks, but all in all, it's an old man's voice with a song itself that's great but Johnny Cash's voice/delivery is the weak link (Hurt, Personal Jesus, In My Life, etc.). I may want to hear these tracks, but not the majority because really they aren't that enjoyable (for me).

Interesting covers

Great album

interesting, Johnny Cash does covers!

7/10 Interesting pairing with yesterday’s, Darkstar: 2 swan song albums by dying artists. I knew this one from the time it came out, listened to it a reasonable amount. It’s very frustrating to me, because it has some career highlights for Cash and some absolute duds. 5 or 6 of its songs are top end, the rest are either a bit insipid or really miss. The worst misses are some of the classics like The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Desperado, Danny Boy. Production really keeps this afloat, with Cash on autopilot. But what an autopilot to have. When he says “and I said sheriff how are **you**” it’s pure magic. Can’t believe I Hung My Head was written by Sting. Best: I Hung My Head

Went into this with high expectations. As others have noted, if it'd been half the length it would've been a more powerful collection of songs. Some of these covers are shite, some are really good. So a 3 I shall be rating.

Is it Johnny Cash a legend? Still after so many years and industry? Regardless? If the album was full of covers it she still shows the greatness of him having so much meaning and thoughtfulness and such a dynamic range even into such an older age it’s just incredible great album.

bittersweet

Good, mostly cover album. As with a lot of these albums--seems like a trend--this was very front loaded. "The Man Comes Around" and Hurt" were definitely the highlights.

The Man Comes Around...badass Hurt...It hurts me to say it (heh), but I was never into the NIN version and this one also never won me over Give My Love to Rose...simple and sweet. I like this Bridge Over Troubled Water...not sure Mr. Cash is the best choice for this cover I Hung My Head...pleasant but somewhat generic First Time...I like its atmosphere. A great vibe if not a great song Personal Jesus...fun but feels off. I appreciate the effort but prefer the original In My Life...not my thing Sam Hall...old timey and fun Danny Boy...probably deserves a more "classical" singer but whatever Desperado...the original is cheesy and so is this I'm So Lonesome...Is that Nick Cave? I love Nick but not a fan of his contribution here Tear Stained Letter...I like this one. Always down for some whisky-soaked pianee Streets of Laredo...another sweet and affecting song We'll Meet Again...Something tells me this is Cash's idea of dark humor

Okeh. Some good covers, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry was relatable 😥

‘Hurt’, ‘Personal Jesus’ and ‘In my life’ are awesome songs and although listening to such an awesome voice singing them takes the songs in another direction, it’s not enough. This is a bunch of covers 3 performed well and the rest just predictable. Nine inch nails does have the best version of ‘hurt’, probably because it’s their track, but ‘Mr Cash’ does have an awesome video clip for it.

Obviously Cash is a great singer, and this is a significant album, but at the end of the day it did feel like a bunch of covers, and I maybe haven't listened to enough cash to be able to resonate with it as much as others have

This one is the type of album that only really has a great impact if you're from the US. I know Johnny Cash is a good artist but I just can't see myself listening to him on my own.

It's a cover album, where Cash mostly strips back the original song. Sometimes, the simplistic, raw choice is an improvement, like with Hurt and I Hung My Head. Sometimes, it sounds like a barstool set by someone who brings his guitar to house parties, like with Desperado and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Hurt is a fantastic performance, and elevates a middling work to truly great, and it's one of the few songs where "radio" censorship actually improves the lyrics. As for the rest of it, it's fine. Some are good choices, some are more boring, most are not notably different. It's still mostly good songs covered by Johnny Cash, but there's only two I'd really like to hear over the originals, which is pretty consistent among the American sessions. Hurt is so good it's almost a four.

Johnny Cash's amazing voice elevates the boring concept of "imagine if these well-known songs were performed on...ACOUSTIC GUITAR?!?"

Stabilt album men ganska same same

not bad, I see why everyone loves this but it's (for me) most often just a reminder of how good the source material is. obviously with a lot of heart put into it, but also just veeery sparse and, ofc, depressing.

Bueno

I cannot abide country music. I know Johnny Cash has become this larger than life, beloved by all, Americana-type figure, but I've never understood why. What I will say is that this doesn't really sound like country music. It's not weird and twangy. This may be because most (all?) of the songs are covers from better artists. That said, though it's too long and Cash's voice is very much the same through every song, it's not terrible. 2.5 stars, probably, but I'll give it an extra half star because Hurt is an awesome video, even though the original song is better.

Många kivoga låtar. Fiilis röst

just not my thing.

Good Johnny Cash. Fun to listen to some old standards reinvented.

Rating: 6/10 The originals are all better besides maybe Hurt. He puts his own spin on it which is respectable but there is not much excitement to return to this album.

While these are good tributes, all the originals are still much better.

I think I finished?

admittedly I only gave it one listen. I did enjoy it, but didn't sink in any substantial way. It may be a grower for me. 3

I've always liked the idea of this more than the execution. Of the covers, only Personal Jesus really pops and that's because of the guitar part. The rest, I'd rather hear the original versions. Speaking of originals, those are actually the highlights for me.

This is pretty mixed. Some hauntingly beautiful arrangements, some incredibly awkward. Cash singing earnest love songs just doesn’t work. Imight be me projecting, but songs like Bridge Over Troubled Water and In My Life sound about as convincing as an average karaoke performance.

Likely an unpopular opinion, but whilst appreciating the beautiful arrangements, the depth and timbre of Cash’s voice, plus the emotion behind the work, this is still at heart an album of cover versions for which it loses half a star. I like it, it’s an easy listen, but it’s not standout aside from the fact we get to hear an artist, reflective, at a late stage of life. Same as his other lesser known late work. IMHO the album is held in higher regard and finds its popularly and place on this list due to the video for Hurt rather than for its musical originality. It’s an enjoyable listen though it does tail off significantly at the end.

удивительное количество ремейков... старый Джонни Кеш не стал более привлекательно для меня петь, хоть это всё и не неприятно

I remember very clearly when these albums came out. This was a huge deal with the man in black being produced by Rick Rubin. Revisiting this was a little bitter sweet. I did very much enjoy reading listening to his covers of personal Jesus and hurt, but much of this album sounds like they wheeled an old man into a studio and gave him some words to sing. The depth and authority of Cash’s voice have left him and the frail tones are effective in song like the title song and also hurt, but on much of this album after 20 years to me is not as effective. 3/5 for nostalgia

Very good

Oh, Johnny Cash. He has such a unique voice and style, it's hard not to like him. But this album though, while it has its highlights, just ain't doin it for me.

Very mournful and a tad self absorbed

The highlights on American IV are undeniably powerful; when Johnny Cash connects, he really connects. Tracks like “Hurt” and “The Man Comes Around” are haunting and unforgettable, capturing the rawness of his voice and the weight of his years. But between those peaks, the album stumbles more than it soars. Some covers feel out of place or underwhelming, and the pacing can drags. It’s worth a listen for the emotional highs, but there’s a lot of filler between the moments of brilliance.

Gonna be honest, although this has nothing to do with the quality because it's a good album, but this album probably shouldn't be on the list. Fundamentally I just dont think albums that are primarily covers albums should be on the list. But that's just me. That said, yeah, still a good album that I think is heavily buoyed by his magnificent cover of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt. Brutally haunting reinterpretation of the song. Most of the rest of the album is solid country/folk songs that vary in quality in comparison to their originals (at least the ones I've heard before), but they're never unnecessary I feel. For example, Bridge Over Troubled Waters is solid, but the original Simon & Garfunkel is better and Cash's cover doesn't particularly stand out (although nice to have Fiona Apple on Cash's cover). Same with In My Life. Can 100% understand where the idea of the Personal Jesus cover came up. Similar to him covering Soundgarden's Rusty Cage, they just recognized that the song is basically a country track, and went with it. Basically, the best covers are the ones where he takes a song from outside his wheelhouse and reinterprets them, as opposed to straight covers of folk/country tunes. The originals are solid too, Give My Love to Rose is great. But overall, with the exception of Hurt, it's just good.

3.5 This album is a little hard for me to rate because I feel like what it represents is greater than what it actually is - that being, a late-career cover album with adaptations that range from phenomenal to mediocre. But the true magic of this album lies in the context - this isn’t so much a collection of “Johnny Cash Plays His Favorites!” as it is a carefully curated set of songs that speak to the mindset of the Man in Black in his final days, and it’s incredibly powerful at times. There are themes of self-reflection, regret, love, and loss that tie the otherwise miscellaneous assortment of songs together, and chief among them far and away is Hurt. There’s not much to say about the song that hasn’t already been said, but I also don’t really think I need to try - it speaks for itself. As much as I love the original version of the song, it’s hard to argue with Trent Reznor when even he himself claimed the song was no longer his own - though, I guess that didn’t happen until after he saw the music video (before that, he supposedly said it felt like Johnny Cash was “f***ing his girlfriend”). If you haven’t seen the video (probably unlikely if you’re a music fan but still putting this out there), it’s a must-watch, though prepare for an emotional sucker punch straight to the gut. Outside of Hurt, my two favorites were the opener, The Man Comes Around, and the cover of Sting’s I Hung My Head (way better than the original), but beyond those… I found a lot of the songs here kind of middling. The covers of Bridge Over Troubled Water and Personal Jesus weren’t bad, and there’s a certain novelty to hearing Johnny Cash’s take on them, but I didn’t think either was as good as the original (though I am embarrassed to say that this is how I found out they’ve been saying “Reach out, touch faith” and not “Reach out, touch me” this whole time). A lot of the back half is pretty forgettable, especially the more traditional stuff like Danny Boy, which leads me to almost wanting to say that some of the stuff here could have been cut without much lost. Given that this was the guy’s last album and all (at least released while he was still alive), I’m not sure I have myself fully sold on that, but I think there’s an argument to be made that this could have been a more cohesive emotional experience with some trimming. However, that said, this album absolutely sticks the landing and then some with its closer. One thing I kept finding myself thinking while listening was “Why the hell is Hurt the second track? That absolutely should have been the closer,” but We’ll Meet Again turned out to be about as good an alternative as I could have hoped for. For as impactful as Hurt may be, it’s ultimately a song about regret and shame, and choosing to end on a note of hope instead was probably the right call, especially with a track as classic as this one (Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? Remember how she said that we would meet again some sunny day?). Also, the Fallout fan in me appreciated that he retained the opening from the Ink Spots’ cover of the song - you know, the one from every single one of their other songs. An emotional roller coaster of an album, but not the best collection of music I’ve heard. I feel like my rating could go a bit in either direction depending on how much value I want to place into each aspect, but for the purposes of this review, a 3.5 seems fair.

I've never heard a Johnny Cash album, and I enjoyed it.

Soulful final Cash album, you really feel the weight of a life lived in his voice. Despite some good songs, at the end of the day its an album of mournful covers and not all of them work. Standouts: The Man Comes Around, Hurt, I Hung My Head

This was fine but really not my cup of tea.

it's no folsom prison.... wasn't a huge fan of the covers but you can tell he's sending his farewell. It's a deeply emotional album

some good. most just okay

An enjoyable listen, but didn't feel like the covers particularly added anything new to each song, except for Hurt (but his version was the first I heard so I'm biased there) and In My Life was good.

Interesting album. Obviously Hurt is amazing, but otherwise I mostly take the original versions over Johnny's. Which isn't shocking. But real mellow and real relaxing, good to have around.

Cash’s vocal delivery is the highlight on this stripped-down mostly cover album with a good song selection. There’s lots of emotion in his familiar voice, though you can sense the tiredness, age, and reflection - the good, the bad, the joy, the sadness, the fun, the trouble, the love, the pain. The fact that these are mostly covers doesn’t really matter, Cash is able to make them his own. A few wonderful renditions (Hurt), and the rest are fine - nothing bad here. But I also wouldn’t consider it essential listening outside of couple tracks.

Some great covers on here, but a lot of it falls flat

-ok so I’ll start by mentioning this is really not my kind of music so any judgments I make are unreliable and should be taken with a grain of salt -so I wasn’t as blown away by this as a lot of others apparently are, but it was still really cool. very powerful and emotional, kind of made me feel like a divorced Midwestern dad struggling with alcoholism. not bad -Favorites are The Man Comes Around and Personal Jesus

Some interesting covers, some less interesting. Great production though.

This shit's depressing

I really wanted to love this, the lack of original songs on this really waters down the album. Of course you have some classics like Hurt and The Man Comes Around but when you look at this album in its entirety it doesn't offer much. Instead of love I'll settle for like. Top 3 Favorites: Hurt, I Hung My Head, and We'll Meet Again Top 1 Worst: Bridge Over Troubled Water (it ain't necessarily bad but absolutely nothing can top the original plus I personally felt it didn't mesh well with Johnny Cash's style) 3.5/5

I’m not a country music lover. If I were, would I have liked this better? I thought the music was much better than the singing. Lots of depressing songs. I didn’t think the covers were that good. I am surprised at the high ratings. For me it’s a 2.5 but I’ll up it to 3.

Not really for me, but can’t deny that there’s some iconic covers here

Correct, le début est bon, le reste est moyen. Pas à la même hauteur que d'autres American de Cash

Performance honnête, pleine de grâce. Un peu inégal dans l'offre. La reprise de Hurt restera toujours un tour de force. Je ne sais pas si cet album a vraiment sa place dans la liste mais cette reprise l'a définitivement dans celle des 1001 chansons. Ça m'a fait demander ce qu'Elvis nous aurait offert s'il avait vécu vieux. Production un peu moche, surcompressée. J'imagine qu'à l'époque on devait dire "C'est fantastique, on croirait être dans la pièce." mais perso je me dit que j'ai pas besoin d'entendre quand son dentier bouge d'un millimètre ou qu'une poussière frôle la guitare. Aurait grandement bénéficié de plus de chaleur au niveau des fréquences.

His voice is wonderful but the spare arrangements feel like they drag sometimes. I found this pretty boring sadly. Hurt was very powerful as we all know, but the rest didn't quite click. I quite liked the cover of We'll meet again someday. 2.5/3

A couple of real standouts, but a few tracks that feel like filler

After the first song I was actually excited for this album. I really enjoyed the first song ("The Man Comes Around") and felt like I finally understood what people see in Cash as an artist. However, the rest of the album didn't work very well for me. At best the songs were fine, at their worst they sounded very much like an old man meandering and also flirting with being out of tune. As an aside, Bridge Over Troubled Water as sung by Simon and Garfunkel is such a vocal powerhouse that Cash's version was pretty offputting. I understand he was going for a different style, but it didn't work for me. For "old dudes doing comforting covers of songs" my vote still goes to Willie Nelson's Stardust. That being said, this was probably the Cash album I've enjoyed most of his from this project.

It was exactly what I expected. Which is not to say I don't like it, and I did enjoy my train ride with the wise old Johnny Cash in my ears, but also it didn't surprise me

The second half of the album were the best. the songs after that one murder song.

There are some nice covers and originals here ("Hurt", "Give my love to Rose", "Personal Jesus"), but these are still not as good as the original NIN/Depeche Mode songs. Most of the album is Cash's signature deep but off-key voice singing mediocre covers.

The songs that hit, hit hard. The songs that missed, missed almost as hard. It was a solid album, and a much better goodbye then the Leonard Cohen goodbye album. Tough call, but I'll settle on 3 stars.

Glad I listened to it, but just too depressing to come back to it.

3/5. This is a good album, I'm just not much of a country fan.

Johnny Cash is a friggin treasure, but this was not one of his best.

This is the forth album that Johnny Cash recorded with Rick Rubin and American Recordings. And it was the last album released during his lifetime. The American Recordings represented a late career renaissance for Johnny Cash. His association with Rick Rubin restored his long-lost cultural relevance, introduced a new generation to Johnny Cash, and reminded the rest of us of why he was so great. The first album in the series stripped everything back to Johnny Cash and his (hot and blue) guitar. It was an inspired move, and an inspired set of songs. It represented his best recorded set of material since the 1950s, and reignited his relevance. On the second album, JC was backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was another inspired move, with another great set of songs that included Cash originals, old standards, and unexpected new classics, re-imagined by Rubin and Cash. Starting with the third album in the American Series, Cash settled into a rhythm of cutting albums with a few original songs, a few standards, a few forgotten gems from bygone eras, and a whole lot of pop songs from the previous twenty years. He made these records with a who's who of Rick Rubin's famous associates. The song selections were intriguing, and Cash put his stamp on every recording. But American III is also the point where Cash's albums became less essential listening, and more novelty. The edge was less cutting. The element of surprise was gone. And the albums, on the whole, were more uneven. This is the lane where we find The Man Comes Around. Most people will note that this is the record that contains Cash's poignant interpretation of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt. And it is a chilling recording, with a dynamic build, and a thrilling crescendo. Cash truly makes it his own. And just like we believed him in 1955 when he sang that he shot a man in Reno just to watch him die, we believe and feel this tale of loss and abuse. And it's well-documented that he actually did live the subject matter of the song. Everything is firing here; and it's a high water mark in the recorded output of Johnny Cash. The rest of the album is a grab bag of Cash originals (The Man Comes Around, Give My Love to Rose, Tear Stained Letter), standards (The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Danny Boy, We'll Meet Again), and a whole lotta open-mic fodder (Bridge Over Troubled Water, In My Life, Desperado). It's the last category that really brings American IV down to average album territory. There's no real interesting reason to hear Cash sing a more-or-less straight cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water. And hearing the usually great Fiona Apple duet with Cash, was certainly more of a thrill for Fiona Apple than it is for the listener. Elsewhere, duets with Don Henley and Nick Cave also weigh down the track list; and the guest appearances add nothing interesting to the songs or the album as a whole. The rest of the album is fine, but inessential. Cash's voice is beginning to quiver in a way that reminds the listener that he doesn't have much time left. Unfortunately, that is the most interesting thing about American IV. His failing voice really works for him in songs like Hurt, Give My Love To Rose, and I Hung My Head. But the rest of the recordings range from serviceable, to skippable. In the end, the Man Comes Around is not a bad album. But it's also not one of Cash's best.

3 out of 5. Good collection of songs.

It's good but I have a public service announcement to issue. 'Hurt' will always be Trent Reznor's song. The thousands and thousands of people who say otherwise are very, very wrong. You can't hear the pain with Johnny Cash. You can't hear the heartbreak with Johnny Cash. You don't hear the personal autobiography of a tortured soul with Johnny Cash. You don't hear the deep, dark place that this song came from with Johnny Cash.

Hurt is an all-timer, but the rest of this album feels like a covers album in a way Hurt doesn't.

Pretty Amazing, i'm very spiritual, God shows me things all the time. This is one of them. Praise God and Thank you to my father, myself!

A legend and great story teller. All great songs and some great ones. A great album.

Very sad and introspective. Also very slow and for me a bit boring. Favorites: Hurt, Personal Jesus

I bought this when it came out.nits pretty good. A lot of covers

We all know what this is. We all know the story. The tracks are great - Hurt is off the charts - but it's a long album, and I really didn't need to hear Cash covering Bridge over Troubled Waters.

Loved this album 20 years ago. Probably should have had a little more Prince in my life at that point. When the Man Comes Around- completely moving Hurt Give My Love to Rose Bridge Over Troubled Water I Hung My Head The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Personal Jesus In My Life This album could change how I rate all the other albums. I truly enjoyed this as young man. But it is largely carried by Cash's failing baritone, and other writers' songs. There isn't much that is overly creative or adventurous.

3 - hard to hate cash. this album doesn’t bring his best, but the covers are a nice addition

5 None of the covers trumped the originals for me.

The Good: It’s always nice when the man comes around! The Bad: Except when you’re not ready for the visit… The Ugly: Guess the man won’t come around no more… What? Johnny Cash? Singing [mostly] other people’s tunes? In his style? And everybody loves it? I’d heard about Hurt. Always wondered about what happened to his career, as he’d stopped being a lead actor, and started doing supporting roles… Oh wait, not that Hurt… Johnny Cash is an icon. Almost everyone in born until 1990 will most likely know of him, after that, well, I guess we can blame Joachim Phoenix for that… Myself, I have never understood the persona. Not a fan of his work. But that sure as shit was a nice cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water! So, 3*

This is #day190 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... after a couple of months since I got At Folsom Prison, here’s another album from Johnny Cash. Astonishingly, this is his sixty-seventh (and final non-posthumous) studio album. I was initially skeptical when I saw it pop on the list this morning, but then I realized it includes his covers of Hurt and Personal Jesus, which are some interesting takes. It’s fascinating to think about Trent Reznor's reaction when he heard Cash's rendition of Hurt, saying the song no longer feels like his. Not sure Martin Gore has ever said the same about Personal Jesus, but I guess Dave was more approachable about the whole affair. Anyway, although country is among my worst genres now, Cash will be Cash, and he deserves credit. After all, he is the genre. This is a solid 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day191.

Bearable and partly excellent country.

Has good peaks, but greatly over stays it's welcome.

Even though it was mostly cover songs, Johnny did his best.

good

Ignoring the Cash originals, especially the tremendously slapping opener of the title track, I just can’t shake that this is, first and foremost, a collection of covers. Some are standouts (Personal Jesus), some are rightfully critically praised (Hurt) and some are genuinely hard to listen to (Danny Boy). Not even the brilliance of Fiona Apple can save the hollowness of Bridge Over Troubled Water. Whilst it’s obvious that it’s going to be well-received given the nature of its output, I genuinely think that - at the very least after the opening two tracks - it’s undeserving of it. Of course, it’s not going to be At Folsom Prison II, that would be even more of a recycled record. But does Cash’s stripped-back melancholy style warrant nearly an hour’s worth of mostly covers? I feel this only caters towards the die-hard Cash fan.

Really enjoy his voice here, but the country style isn't my thing. Shame that most of the songs are covers too. Overall not bad.

Wasn’t really my cup of tea

Johnny cash managed to turn a bunch of cover into some of the groomiest song out there using just his voice! Hurt especially was very immersive. But it's just covers in the end. Very Johnny. Not very Texas 3/5

I'm not a big fan of Johnny Cash. Most on this album was pretty forgettable but it does have my favourite song of his, and that's his version of Hurt.

depressing

What can you say…it’s Johnny Fucking Cash’s last album he ever recorded. I think there are some songs that don’t quite work as well for me (the Sting cover), some are maybe too by the book or trite (In My Life, Bridge Over Troubles Danny Boy, though the latter is beautifully performed), plus some Certified Rick Rubin Moments (the waveform for Hurt gotta just be a solid black rectangle)….damn, the arrangements are so tasteful on the cuts that work. Of course Hurt and Personal Jesus are deserved highlights, but love the two original songs, and as someone who is a near complete outsider to the songs of Cash’s heyday, the cuts from that genre really make me appreciate how special and distinctly American those songs are and the stories they tell. Finally, We’ll Meet Again got me tearing up. Overall, probably 3.5/5 but will round down.

Hurt is by far my favorite song in this album. You can feel the pain of that the song evokes in Johnny's voice. The rest of the album is OK.

johnny cash sleeping on his own album cover is me listening to it

"Hurt" is a great remake. I liked "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"

Montoner abgesang einer Legende Kann man hin und wieder hören

Скучно

It's okay. I prefer his own music. There a few cases where a cover is better than the original, but I didn't find any here.

Flere rigtig fine sange på albummet. Men det fanger mig bare ikke rigtig. 😬

it was fiine, but I don't think this comes close to the prison lives. Bunch of covers too. Still, a strong 3

Great until the terrible bridge over troubled water cover

Acoustic, hauting vibes. Is this considered noir-americana? Not sure if I listened to it in the right context. Will have to revisit again.

The album is notable because it was released after Cash passed away. I love Cash's voice/style and this is a great collection of songs, but I have hard time giving him a very high score for covers. I was excited that Fiona Apple does vocals on one of the tracks, but she doesn't seem to add much to that one (Bridge Over Troubled Waters). By contrast I much preferred the woman who does backup vocals on Desperato, though I later realized that "woman" is Don Henley, LOL.

OK

I actually find this one difficult to rate. I was never a huge fan of Johnny Cash but at the same time, I am fine with his legendary status. These songs are all covers and some of them are not suited to his style at all (Bridge Over Troubled Water and First Time Ever I Saw Your Face are just short of painful to hear). Some part of me feels this should be a 4 but the song selection and length compel me to give a 3.

This album is tough to consider without its context, which tends to increase its stature in my mind. In the end, it’s an album of covers in which “Hurt” is really the only one which approaches/exceeds the original, although I do also like Cash’s “Personal Jesus.”

Great performance but -1 for being a cover album and -1 for choosing songs that go on about death all the time.

5.5/10 Highlights: Hurt Desperado Personal Jesus The Man Comes Around

This is fun, but the covers don’t match the originals and I can’t say this is a necessary album to listen to

The Johnny Cash/Rick Rubin collaboration that produced his American series of albums exemplifies the magic that can occur when a perfect marriage happens between artist and producer. When Rick went to Johnny with the idea, Cash was at a low ebb in his career, at risk of being lost in the history of great country troubadours. These albums revived his stature, and served as both a reminder to his brilliance, and ultimately a mournful goodbye. While the first volume will always be my favorite, American IV was perhaps the commercial high point, with a huge comback hit (and memorable music video) for Cash's interpretation of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt". As the old music cliche goes, he really made it his own.

Do you like music with a country feel? If so, then this is the album for you! His voice just screams country, because it sounds sad, and country music is usually sad. Also it only has a few instruments and sometimes it does sound happy. I also like his voice for this music. Anyway, I recommend that you listen to this album

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.

I grew up on Cash. Not my favorite of his work, but a few gems here & there. Dat voice doe.

There’s a lot of good stuff on this record, though I kind of want to make a super cut of all the America recordings so I can have just the tracks I like off each of them (c.f. “rowboat”); many of Cash’s covers I like as much or more than the original (his version of “Hurt” has aged way better than the original). There is a deep sadness to his voice on these last recordings that is almost heartbreaking at times. That said, there are plenty of tracks on all of these America albums that I don’t particularly care about-they aren’t bad, but nor are they mind blowing. This is a solid album overall-probably the best of this series, but not my favorite Cash. I’d give this 3.75 stars if I could.

3,75 *

A lot of the tracks are just Johnny with his guitar and vocals. It can be quite haunting, stripped back and chilling at times. There are some very good highlights to choose from here. The cover of 'Hurt' is the most famous and it's good. It's bloody good. I still prefer the original, but this is not far behind at all. The fact that this was his final album before he died adds to the weight of the track. It's like he knew that this was it. 'Personal Jesus' is also a great highlight. The cover of The Beatles' 'In My Life' is my favourite track. By using the same lyrics, the context of it being Johnny's last album and his husky voice, it turns the best love song of all time into an almost retrospective celebration of his life. It's quite sombre but hauntingly beautiful. I must admit it does get a bit samey though. Just under an hour of this is enough for anyone in my opinion.

Johnny Cash's voice is remarkable. The selection of tracks on the album is exceptional. I originally knew the track Hurt from Nine Inch Nail. I've heard Cash's version and the version by Secret Discovery, a German dark rock band. I liked Trent Reznor's original best. But Cash's version is also very good. It's similar with Personal Jesus. I also like the original by Depeche Mode best here. But Cash's version is also very good here. The cover version Vera Lynn's origonal We'll Meet Again is also particularly noteworthy. Overall, the album is very atmospheric but, perhaps also in view of Cash's health situation at the time, rather subdued. That's why I probably won't be listening to the album again any time soon. 3/5

Cash’s version of Hurt is an impressively effective cover simultaneously bringing Cash into contemporary context while introducing him to a generation. The best track on the record. Personal Jesus is also an inspired pick. However, some of the covers just aren’t good, even with Cash’s gravelly vocals. Bridge Over Troubled Water could have been cut.

An interesting mix of covers. I'm trying to remember how much I liked Hurt before it became over played. Some these songs really work, but I think I'd listen to a few songs again instead of the whole album.

Really liked first half but the 2nd lost me

Meh

I'm generally not a fan of Johnny Cash's music. This isn't necessarily a huge departure on that front. "Hurt" is the standout. Most of the rest of the covers are just OK. 3 stars.

A great example of an older artist updating his sound without giving up any of his enduring qualities as a performer The opening track is one of the few original songs on the record and is a fantastic start. It’s mainly covers from then on, and these kick off with his famous and incredibly emotional cover of Nine Inch Nails’ Hurt, transposing a heartbreaking and unsettling ballad about drug addiction into a rumination on growing old without the ones you love. There are a few other great covers, most notably Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus, but a few of them don’t quite work for me. Bridge Over Troubled Water loses its way towards the end and the usually amazing Fiona Apple doesn’t blend too well with Cash’s voice, and the slower and lower version of In My Life makes a beautiful song sound quite dreary. There are some truly exceptional songs on here and it’s a great concept, but not always executed too well

American IV is Johnny Cash's swan song, his sixty-seventh album and the last released during his lifetime. With his health rapidly fading, Cash’s voice is frail yet fiercely determined, as if he knew these could be his final words to the world. Supported by an all-star lineup, including John Frusciante, Fiona Apple, Nick Cave, and Don Henley, Cash and Rubin create an intimate sound that sometimes feels haunting, a fitting soundtrack for a man approaching the final pages in his book. The album opens with "The Man Comes Around," his last original composition—a haunting meditation on judgment and faith, fitting for a man near the end of his journey. The track’s apocalyptic verses—“there’s a man going around taking names”—juxtapose a dark and reflective tone with a dose of his customary wit that flows throughout the album. Galvanized by the success of covering unexpected artists previously (Soundgarden, Beck), Cash again tackles an eclectic setlist, bringing his own raw take to these songs. The darkest tracks, like “Personal Jesus” and “Hurt,” come across as the most profound, with Cash transforming the lyrics into deeply personal confessions. His take on the Nine Inch Nails classic is so powerful that even Trent Reznor felt the song now belonged to Cash, who turned the lines “I will let you down, I will make you hurt” into reflections of a life marred by regret and resilience. Rubin’s trademark stripped-down production, with just a touch of guitar, sombre pianos, and occasional organ, allows Cash’s weathered vocals to take centre stage. On “Personal Jesus,” the snake-like acoustic rhythm lends a brooding energy that suits the song’s gospel undertones, while on “Hurt,” Rubin allows Cash’s fragile vocals to carry the song alone at the start, building slowly with subtle piano and string accents until it feels almost unbearably personal. Not every track reaches this level. Takes on The Beatles' “In My Life” and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” fall somewhat flat, with Cash’s voice unable to carry them in the same transformative way. The weathered renditions, while well-meaning, don’t add the fresh perspective he conveyed in other songs. The closing track, “We’ll Meet Again,” is worth mentioning. It acts as a bittersweet farewell, its disarming optimism offering a faint glimmer of hope amid the darkness—a farewell to his listeners, as well as to life itself. With so many albums under his belt, it is inevitable to observe that American IV does not fully represent Cash's incredible career. Arguably taking the best moments from the American series as a whole would be more a more representative and cohesive showcase of his late-career revival. Yet the album—especially through the song and video for “Hurt”—cemented Cash’s relevance for a new generation, ensuring his music endures. Ultimately, American IV stands as Cash's farewell—a stark, honest, if not entirely unforgettable goodbye to the world. Did/Do I own this release? No Does this release belong on the list? Unsure Would this release make my personal list? No Will I be listening to it again? Hurt and Personal Jesus are elite-level covers, some of the rest I could do without.

I prefer when he sings his own songs.

Some of his best work and a nice record even though its not something I listen to on the daily. Interesting listen especially the less known songs.

#60 Nice voice and lyrics. Not something I would normally listen to, but have to admit it was quite nice.

After the first song, I was worried that the whole album would be “speak-singing”, but luckily the brilliant Hurt brought it back straightaway. This is an interesting one, because nearly every song is a cover but they were very much converted to Cash’s style, and come from a broad range of previous artists. It isn’t the most exciting album, but still very nice to listen to.

old man doing some cool covers, but maybe too many covers? maybe a little less album? depeche mode for the win!

Not my fav cash album but he’s a legend. Distinctive voice and amazing he sounds so good so late into his career. Enjoyed.

It's Johnny Cash at the end of his life, doing what he does best. Singing American classics and country staples. But, this has Hurt, which cemented his legacy.

Johnny Cash .... Some good songs here, and some TBH, not so much. Last album by him, so we know his voice wasn't quite the same. Still - undeniably Johnny Cash!

Not quite what I thought it would be. He is an amazing singer, but it does seem to lean on cliche, and some of those covers seem a bit sketchy

Type of shit you’d hear when you’re 98 on your death bed (in a good way). Created a good mood with this one but was a bit one dimensional. He needs to cheer up a bit

This is the third Cash album I have listened to on 1001 and so far this is my favourite. Recorded shortly before he died you can hear the age in his voice but I think that adds to something extra to the finished product. Favourite track is Personal Jesus

Not a bad album.

Not bad. Some of the covers were good. Some not so much. And why did he cover Personal Jesus? Hurt made sense. Bridge Over Troubled Water, okay. His voice works for those and a couple others. But not Depeche Mode.

Some good songs but I find cover albums sort of strange.

Never listened to the album before. Note: Desperado n/a on YouTube Music so I had to go to Spotify for that song. You select some of the great songs written in country and rock, add one of the great distinctive voices in music, and an all-star cast of performers...so why do less than half of these versions work? I think it's a combination of Johnny's failing health and Rick Rubin losing his golden touch by the 4th album in this series. But there are a lot of songs that work, and this version of Hurt is an all-time classic. "And I looked and behold, a pale horse. And it's name that sat on him, was Death. And Hell followed with him."

Enjoyable but some of the covers didn't work for me.

I liked "The Man Comes Around", the blues take on "Personal Jesus", and his stripped down interpretation of NIN Hurt. Also his voice carried "I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry" nicely. The other songs were a bit hit and miss. Interesting concept. Overall I felt weary after listening to the whole album.

I mean, this is fine, definitely good at times, but I don't get the hype. This is another where if this wasn't Johnny Cash, I don't think people would care in the least and it would either forgotten or a "never was." The cover of Hurt especially. I don't get the appeal. I think it's the worst track. It lacks the feeling/grit and emotion of the original, and the first verse deeply needed another take. Cash sings it like someone trying to rush through, exceeding the tempo, timing, and struggling a touch with the notes. That portion reminds me of listening to St. Anger. There are strong tracks on this so it feels weird that people latched on to that one other than that it's just a really good song and this was probably a lot of Cash/country fans first exposure to it. I struggle with how to rate this. In terms of "must listen" it's really low because I don't feel like there's anything people NEED to hear on this, nor even Cash fans other than The Man Comes Around. Treating it just for the music though, it feels like any band's cover album though. If you're a fan of the band, it's probably a fun listen. Outside of that, it isn't exactly doing much that is a NEED to hear experience. 3/5 I guess?

it felt really sad. Great album, but not of my taste.

Going into this cold I wasn't sure exactly what it was. It wasn't until after listening I saw the 2002 release and learned it was covers. When I listened I only recognized In my Life and Bridge over troubled waters as covers. I was excited after the first track. I think the first/title track is fantastic and shows Cash stepping out of his lane and making something very cool and unique. After that I think the album drops somewhat. There are some classic songs thrown in there which Cash does a good job at. Even his cover of In my life is far enough away from the Beatles version that it lands a spot on this album. Cash Clearly inspired by Beyonce's cover of blackbird on Cowboy Carter. This album suffers from its selling point. It's Johnny Cash with his deep chilling voice singing classic songs and turning them into his own. Since they aren't JC's original songs, the variety of this album comes from the variety of songwriters and writing styles rather than Cash's range. In this way the album falls flat as Cash takes a broad range of songs and puts them all through a Johnny Cashification machine and churns out these tracks. Cash takes tracks from all across the rainbow and turns them all grey to fit his style. I can't even be mad though. Cash's voice holds up and his song selection is solid. It's a lifetime of music retold to you by an old man in the way that he was able to recreate it. I think it's pretty cool as an alternative to a greatest hits record. It's an epitaph of inspirations much like Young Thug's album Jeffrey, and it's a creative concept that even I (a Johnny Cash Hater) can appreciate.

this a point thing

Johnny Cash all the things!!! Cool concept. Hurt and Personal Jesus are my two favorites. 3+⭐️

Swan song for the Man in Black being puppeteered out to perform some interesting covers and standards. Not much there there but worth a listen.