Reviews (page 2 of 14)
What an epitaph from the man in black. A collection of poignent songs for a man who knows his time is up. Delivered in his inimitable style, the record often enhances the originals.
𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘝 gives me the same feeling as Leonard Cohen’s 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘐𝘵 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳: an ageing artist singing with a voice that has lost some of its strength but gained something far more important in return. Every crack, breath, and moment of hesitation seems to carry decades of life with it. That is what makes the album so powerful for me. Most of these songs were written by other people, yet Cash rarely sounds like he is simply covering them. He seems to absorb them completely. 𝗛𝘂𝗿𝘁 is the obvious example: in his hands, it becomes less a Nine Inch Nails song than a final reckoning with memory, regret, and mortality. The rest of the album repeatedly achieves something similar. Cash sounds old here. There is no point pretending otherwise, and that is precisely why the record works. His weathered voice against those sparse arrangements gives me genuine goosebumps. When he sings about death, faith, loss, or looking back on a life, none of it feels abstract anymore. 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘝 is not great despite Cash’s age. It is great partly because of it. Few albums make the passage of time sound this human.
No words could really accurately describe this record. Just listen.
Old man shaky voice, simple guitar, sticking to the exact lyrics and basic tune of the original songs this album covers... Kinda country, kinda folky... and this is one of the best albums ever made in the history of music. The depth of soul and meaning in this is staggering. If there were ever something to define "magnum opus" this is it. I am truly not sure I have ever heard an album with so little pretension have so much emotion "simply" built into the way Johnny Cash sings from the depths of his soul. Purposefully and meaningfully. This album blew me, and many others away when I, a complete post punk new age techno freak, first heard it. Still does, and I am still pretty much a techno freak...
The American recordings are a worthy epilogue to Johnny's storied and yet ordinary career. When he records the first album and sets the template, he'd just come off an era where he recorded The Chicken in Black, oy vey. What Rubin got to with this series is that Cash is Americana in all its kaleidoscopic glory. Born of a rockabilly and gospel tradition he was more than country from the get go. All the album have something to give, even the posthumous 5 and 6, but 4 is the one where it all comes together perfectly. And the reason for that is the song selection, each one exactly right. Take Sting's I Hung My Head, I mean where did that come from, what corner of Sting's mind conjured that up? And of course it perfectly landed in Johnny's lap, the song was 50 years in the making and it was the perfect Cash song. Ditto Hurt, Personal Jesus and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. I'm sure McCall would have cried if he'd lived to hear it, simply beautiful. But it's his take on In My LIfe that resonates with me deeply. Lennon's ode and love letter to Stu is transformed into a reflection on life itself. I have a playlist of covers of Fabs tunes which is over 650 songs deep and this is probably the greatest of all time. Certainly the one that takes one of their tunes and makes it something beyond this corporeal existence.
Cash crushes it.
The final album of an absolute GOAT. There are few misses on this album. Just a series of incredible, heartbreaking songs
Incredible!
Masterpiece of a dying man through n through
Johnny Cash…..
Today I'm grateful for this project putting me onto Johnny Cash. BOTW was rougher than the S&G version, but there was so much pain. In my life is one of my fave Beatles song, and again, his delivery is lovely.
The best! All the covers are amazing and when you know the backstories of some of them it's even better.
A last masterpiece from a veteran of recorded music. 67th album! Rest in Peace, Mr Johnny Cash.
Even though the album consists of mostly covers, Cash paints them differently with his finely aged voice “Hurt” gave me goosebumps
yeah so I really really liked this. I got curious after I started recognizing every song, and I actually like that it's a cover album. I feel like there was a lot of intention behind choosing the songs and the way he recorded them and who he chose to collab with. I also didn't realize how many albums this guy had. this was his last studio album and it was number SIXTY SEVEN (I'm not even excited that it's sixty seven, I'm just in shock that he had so many). and when I learned that this was his last album made it more meaningful. I feel like there is just so much emotion and honesty in his voice which is really really nice. It's like he's saying goodbye to all his fans and to his career as a musician. I think hurt was my fav and bridge over troubled water was my least fav (just because I like the original so much)
No notes
An absolute classic. After diving deep into his discography over the past year, I have come to appreciate just what a true legend he is. While his live prison albums are fantastic, there is something uniquely magical about the way this specific record flows. Every song is perfectly placed. "The Man Comes Around" serves as a gripping opener, transitioning seamlessly into his fantastic cover of "Hurt". Even after countless listens, "Hurt" never gets old—it stands as one of the greatest covers of all time. Released just under a year before his passing, the album carries a heartbreaking weight, yet Cash's voice remains incredibly wise and comforting. It is a brilliant testament to his artistry that his 67th studio album, recorded around age 70, maintains such an elite level of quality. The record shares a poignant, energy with David Bowie’s Blackstar, which was also released shortly before its creator's death. Though the tracklist consists mostly of covers, Cash completely reclaims them. "We'll Meet Again"—originally made famous by Vera Lynn—serves as a genius, bittersweet closer. Johnny Cash may not have possessed the most technically flawless voice, but he commanded one of the most distinctive, unforgettable vocal presences in music history. Rest in peace to a true icon.
Johnny Cash taps into a well of sadness, longing, loneliness and pain. His voice is so emotive and deep, and his singing invites you into his inner world. It's so affecting, emotional, and deeply moving. Probably the best cover album I've ever heard. Excuse me while I bawl from all of the feelings this album unearthed.
Amazing. Brilliant album and so moving.
its the first time i lesten to this kind of misuc and i really like it as a person who listen to everything .
oof. this album hits. i've heard some of these tracks, obviously, but what an emotional piledriver this record is. fairly stunned after listening to it.
Tip top, voix de fou, instrus quasi à la guitare uniquement, idéal pour un moment calme en acoustique.
I can’t listen to this album. Not once have I made it all the way through in a sitting. It completely consumes my entire day every time I try. I can emotionally recover from one or two songs, but many more than that and I simply won’t. That’s the highest compliment I can give it, even if that really says more about me than anything else. It’s funny that this came up fairly recently after Blackstar. Both artists knew this was going to be their last work and passed not long after releasing, but as much as I appreciated Blackstar it doesn’t have the same devastating effect on me that American IV has. Blackstar is just more bittersweet, while this album leaves no survivors.
Simply unreal how talented Johnny Cash was. He could see the beauty and artisty in genres outside of his own. A true songwriter and performer.
Beautiful album that riddles with passion. So much pain is transformed by Johnny Cash into virtue and acceptance of his mortality. Perfect choice of songs. An absolute masterpiece.
Создаётся впечатление что Кэш прекрасно знал и чувствовал что это его - финальный аккорд. И самое интересное, что именно каверы тут и являются измюминкой альбома, усиливающие эффект исповедальности альбома. Словно он выражает уважение коллегам музыкантам, будь то своим коллегам, во времена молодости (Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel), так и коллегам по жанру, ну и новому поколению, конечно. (NIN, Depeche Mode) А минимализм в звуке, опять же, подчёркивает и усиливает весь эффект. Вообще, конечно, кавер на Hurt это нечто, замечательная вещь, как и In My Life - очень трогательный.
Unfotunately, I forgot to make any notes yesterday so this will be short. I love this album - its certainly of an era - like Sam said to me yesterday, it was often played at the end of house parties which I guess could have been a bit of a downer but it never was really. The Hurt video is brilliant, this record is brilliant, the production is a bit ropey but I will never tire of listening to this.
I remember when this was released. I only had a vague notion of who Johnny Cash was, some old boy who was big in the 60s in country and who was once in Columbo. The ingredients didn’t seem there to make anything noteworthy. My expectations were therefore low, but this album blew me away and it still does, some of the covers are better than the originals, others take the songs in a completely different direction. A lot of the critical reviews focused on how Cash was dying which added poignancy etc. which it does, but I think even if that wasn’t the case and Cash was still alive now the music would still stand up (although maybe he wouldn’t have made such a good album if he hadn’t known he was close to the end).
Beautiful
Fantastic. Cash’s covers completely change the meaning of the tracks, giving the vibe of an old man reflecting on his life. I particularly loved Bridge Over Troubled Water, Personal Jesus, In My Life, and We’ll Meet Again
This is my second Johnny Cash album I have got from the generator in the space of 2 weeks. With most artists, I’d be disappointed having to hear multiple albums in a short space, but Johnny Cash is something special! In this album you can really hear his age, his voice is weaker and during his legendary cover of ‘Hurt’, he sounds as if he really is! ‘In My Life’ was a solid cover of The Beatles hit, though I think that The Beatles’ original was more emotional, despite Cash’s older voice making it sound more hopeless. ‘We’ll Meet Again’ was a perfect end to this album, it starts off deep, but really plateaus from an emotional standpoint when the choir enters, the Vera Lynn version was played at one of my family member’s funeral so the song has an even bigger meaning to me!
This is such a wise album. Listening to it feels like sitting with an older, quieter version of Johnny Cash. He still has that classic style, but you can clearly hear how he grew older and wiser. It’s not as energetic or fiery as the records from the start of his career, and that slower, heavier pace fits the mood perfectly. What keeps the whole album warm is his deep, beautiful manly voice and the long list of great covers. He takes on Hurt, Bridge Over Troubled Water, I Hung My Head, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Personal Jesus, In My Life, Sam Hall, Danny Boy, Desperado, I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, Streets of Laredo and We’ll Meet Again. Each one feels personal in his hands. The production by Rick Rubin stays simple and sparse, which gives Cash’s voice all the space it needs. It’s a late career record full of quiet strength and reflection.
So meaningful and deeply felt. Loved listening to this.
Johnny Cash's American series is the most raw version of Johnny Cash. These albums really embody exactly what I think of when I think Johnny Cash. Have you ever heard someone sing their own eulogy? That's what this album sounds like to me. From the beginning of The Man Comes Around through the haunting We'll Meet Again, it just sounds like a great man singing his sole regret about a great life. Hurt is the clear standout here, a full transformation of Reznor's song. To take the same words but inject an entirely different feeling, such a talent. The cover of Personal Jesus is a bit of a sleeper hit here too, again taking the same words and transforming them into something new. Give this a listen, a close listen. Immerse yourself in the feelings, and by the time the full chorus enters in We'll Meet Again, you'll be reaching for the kleenex.
they named money after this guy because he was so good at music
There are very few artists I can honestly say I’ve always loved. From my earliest memories of my grandmother playing Johnny Cash records in the mid-1960s through his final albums produced by Rick Rubin, he has remained one of my favorites. Over the years I’ve listened to American IV: The Man Comes Around countless times—there couldn’t be a better swan song for such a great artist. Hearing this album fills me with happiness that I was alive to follow his career, and sadness knowing I’ll never hear a new Johnny Cash song.
Hearing an old Johnny Cash, that sounds exhausted and regretted but he acknowledges that his time has come brings me with uncontrollable tears Most of the songs aren't his own creation but I think is the charm of this album.
Album slaps. Johnny Cash is a certified classic. 'Hurt' is a top notch cover of all time!
This is an easy 5 for me. I love all the American Recordings and this one is probably the best and is my favorite. The emotion, the starkness, the Johnny Cash of it all.
American IV: The Man Comes Around was the final album released during Johnny Cash's lifetime, and it's nothing short of extraordinary. This album is superb. It strikes the perfect balance between revisiting Johnny Cash's own songs, such as "The Man Comes Around" and "Give My Love to Rose", and reinterpreting songs by other artists in a way that makes them feel completely his own. Every cover is carefully chosen and delivered with incredible emotion. I also love the guest appearances, particularly from two of my favourite artists, Nick Cave and Fiona Apple, who add even more depth to an already remarkable album. Johnny Cash has one of the most recognisable voices in music, and on this record it's at its most powerful. The arrangements are stripped back and intimate, allowing every word to land with real weight. His voice is weathered, fragile and deeply moving, giving the songs an honesty that very few singers could achieve. Knowing how ill Cash was when these recordings were made, and that he was still grieving the loss of June Carter Cash, makes the album even more emotional. At times it's a difficult listen, not because the music isn't beautiful, but because every performance feels so personal. There's a sense of reflection, vulnerability and acceptance running through the entire record that makes it incredibly powerful. This is more than just a collection of songs. It feels like a farewell from one of the greatest artists of all time, and it's hard to imagine a more fitting final statement. Favourite tracks: "Hurt" is simply incredible. It's one of the greatest cover versions ever recorded, completely transforming the original into something uniquely Johnny Cash. Least favourite tracks: There aren't any. Every song is different, every performance is heartfelt, and every track earns its place. Album artwork: A classic Johnny Cash album cover—simple, timeless and perfectly suited to the music inside.
Had me in tears at some moments.
Not every song was perfect, but because of Hurt it is a 5 for me.
As always it's a great listen. Powerful, painful and at times funny.
This is his 67th studio album. The Man Comes Around was a solid start to the album. Hurt is hard to listen to. Cash's version is the best, but the song itself brings back so many hard memories for me. Cash has a way of making a song his own. This album really shows how reflective he was knowing he was nearing the end of his life. I enjoyed the story behind I Hung My Head. So far every song is a banger, but so sad! When in this headspace, I would absolutely jam this album again. Sometimes you just need a good cry.
I remember getting this in HMV like it was yesterday, loved it then and love it now
johnny cash's voice is sooooo soothing to me for some reason
Any album that gets me teary eyed gets a five imo
Hesitant to be like "yea he knew he was dying and this was it" but doesn't it sound like he did? So well done. I love the reworks of old material, every cover on here is incredible, I know everyone loves that Hurt cover and I do too but that In My Life cover is even better. The Beatles have cooler harmonies whatever but I've never really digested that song even though I've heard it a million times until this version. Beautiful and haunting and full of love and sadness, so good. This album, covers as it may be, is a top 50 on this list so far, just so good.
This album feels like coming home
Chilling, hauntingly beautiful, i am not much of a crier at music but hurt is one of, if not, the best covers ever done. I really underestimated johnny cash, this was moving.
gives me a similar feeling to blackstar by bowie: beautiful, but heart wrenchingly sad. a beautiful and powerful album that i love so so much.
Johnny Cash's iconic voice was pretty cooked by the time he made this record, but it oddly works. He could still sing a bit, and his voice and delivery on what might be the greatest (mainly) cover album of all time makes this a 93/100 for me
I hadn't listened to this for a few years, and it's even better than I remembered. Perhaps because I'm older myself now. Just a masterpiece. The choice of songs, the arrangements, the intense personal honesty. The cover versions all make their originals seem silly and childish. He gives a power to songs that would otherwise feel schmaltzy and sentimental. He even gives weight and meaning to the silly cowboy stories that irritate me so much in most country music.
Honestly I miss the days when someone could reinvent songs well known to people. Sadly we just don’t have many current pop songs that hit as hard as this.
A great opus album for a great performer
Some great stuff on here. The man comes around, personal Jesus and Hurt which is arguably the best cover of all time.
Made the covers his own. Picked them to fit perfectly together.
Tämä oli kyllä upea!
On hieno levy 👌🏼⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gorgeous album. So rich, so emotional, and so beautiful. Amazing record for an amazing artist.
The perfect set of songs to close out Johnny’s long and stellar career. Hurt is famously been “given” to Johnny by NIN and I do prefer this version to the original. His voice is haunting as he looks back at his life. The other covers like Bridge Over Troubled Water and Personal Jesus are amazing but it’s In My Life that hit me hardest. The song that make me think of my late Dad and the way Johnny sings this beautiful song made me cry like a baby. RIP JOHNNY CASH. He will live on through his music
One of my all time favorite albums that I haven’t listened to in a long time and it gutted me all over again. I’m a pretty big NIN fan, but this cover rivals the original in tone and context (don’t come for me, both can be good and legit). Rick Rubin really outdid himself on this one.
I feel like sometimes when a musician gets older and they can’t delivery the same energetic performance as their youth, it forces them to make every musical flourish completely intentional. I feel like that’s the case here. Everything is so sparse, and yet it feels so much more complete than a busier arrangement. Maybe that’s just the magic of Rick Rubin.
This is truly one of my favorite records of all time. And one of my favorite artists of all time. He's one of the greatest orators of the American experience and American pop culture. The songs he wrote, were great, but the way that he sang other songs and told stories through his style and voice is unmatched. I remember when this first came out. Hurt was everywhere, then the Walk the Line movie came out shortly after. I was obsessed with all of it. I picked up this record again while I was on my mission and listened to it constantly. I love every song. Obviously, The Man Comes Around and Hurt are phenomenal album openers, but I really love Streets of Laredo, Hung My Head and Bridge Over Troubled Water. I love the way he sings Desperado and In My Life. He just has this old man Grandpa charm to his voice in those songs that feels cozy. I can't think of another perfectly recorded bookend to an incredibly complex and beautiful life. He nailed it.
This album feels like moments in time with Cash: penning letters to loved ones, reconciling a broken heart, grieving life changing mistakes. It's an emotional and raw and I really wish Cash was still alive today to make music for the world.
Love the album. Had heard it before and it's just as good as i remember
Cash delivers these songs, most of which are covers, with a wisdom that imbues them with new meaning. I love this album. Tear Stained Letter is my favorite, but there may just be no skips.
This one came up on my birthday and I consider it an appropriate listen for the day as I reflect on my own past. Hurt was meant for Johnny Cash to sing and In My Life made me cry (it usually does), but the whole album is brilliant.
checked prior
Such a beautiful album. 100% the most emotional album I've listened to on this generator thus far. Such a powerful experience; I truly loved this. Hurt was my fav song of the album. Desperado (my fav first listen) and Personal Jesus were my other highlights
The realest and rawest.
Every single song is a legit banger. Easily Cash’s best work.
I listened to this album a lot back in the day. Hurt is by far my favorite, and of course Personal Jesus. I la-la-love cover songs, so this album is just a jewel!
kind of an obnoxious symbolic importance to bestow upon this deeply human and personal record, but if youll permit me to reduce this massive confrontation of mortality to Stuff About My Art Tastes, its stuff like this that reminds me that whatever impulse causes ppl to want, or think they want, a certain amount of Levity in their art, is not an impulse i generally share. in the post irony world i find it very healing to soak in 51 minutes of total undeceptive solemnity. the adaptations of the material here into something entirely expressive of one man's soul is the stuff of legends...credit to cash for his performances remaining so musical and emotive despite the limits of his aged voice, and credit to rick rubin of all people for giving the sound punch and character ...for as great as the arrangements are, its easy to imagine a different presentation of the same that is too slick and gaudy. every new detail, chord change, backing vocal hits like a truck, and u don't miss a single word that comes out of cash's mouth. a decadent experience achieved through austerity. just obviously untouchable.
11/10
Masterclass from Johnny Cash in the last album he released before he died and beautifully produced by Rick Rubin. Although best known as mostly a covers album, the opener The Man Comes Around is amongst the best Cash songs. Hurt, In My Life and Personal Jesus are bittersweet and full of a sense of mortality and the fact that the end is nearly there for him and when he'll meet June again. Bridge Over Troubled Water and Danny Boy miss the mark a bit for me so the album, much like Cash himself isn't flawless. However it is most definitely worthy of 5 stars.
This album is a 5 based on the first two tracks alone. The entire album is a beautiful, melancholy tale of accepting one’s mortality.
He rides a pale horse
I listened to this album over the course of an evening: I went for a late-night walk around the neighborhood, paused to work out under a spotlight white moon, then took a refreshingly cool shower. Similarly to when I listened to Blackstar or You Want It Darker earlier in this project, it is a uniquely haunting experience to hear someone so close to their own death reflecting on their impending passing, reflecting on mortality and looking back over their life in retrospect. Age lends Cash's voice even more power and gravel than it already had, only serving to amplify his usual gruff tone. Much of the tracklist consists of covers, but every one of them is beautifully transformative and feels like a natural fit for the album: Hurt is such a good cover, I assumed it was a Johnny Cash original for years. The downtrodden guitar and generally low register leave every song feeling dark and foreboding, even when dealing in more positive topics, which feels very true to the mortal spirit of the album: there's a bittersweetness to everything, and it completely envelops you from one song to the next. With a decade-spanning career and dozens of albums, it is wildly impressive how American IV somehow manages to stand as a more-than-fitting sendoff to the Man in Black. Highlights: The Man Comes Around, Hurt, Give My Love To Rose, Bridge Over Troubled Water, I Hung My Head, First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Personal Jesus, In My Life, Sam Hall, Danny Boy, Desperado, Streets Of Laredo, (Wichita Lineman, Big Iron), Tear Stained Letter, We'll Meet Again
What an incredible album
Beautiful trent reznor classic american flat melancholy simple and heart stabbing
This album breaks my heart. Johnny Cash was obfuscated with so much persona through his career that this final moment of sincerity feels so potent. It is made even more absurd learning that every song on this album is a cover. Because truly, with the emotive force on display they all end up feeling like songs of his own making. The most heartfelt moment for me on the album was the run from “Danny Boy” to “Bridge over Troubled Water.” The former was the first song I got to sing solo in choir, the latter, one of the songs my mom would send for bedtime. In this new form, Cash sings about him and the world he knows fucking dying. It’s a contrast, to say the least. But that is the risk/reward of a cover album, you must contend with the listeners original relationship with a song, either reinforcing its meaning, or reinterpreting it. “Hurt” is an amazing NIN song, it’s deeply intimate, letting us look how depression can still make you feel worthless and broken even if you have so much to show for your creativity and efforts. But, to me it has always felt more personal, a song sung to an individual. The Cash version sounds like a song sung to a nation. Cash was a multi-media American Icon, a man made into a symbol for masculinity and what it meant to be American. And as such, he was also forced to be scandalized when he went against those ideals. This song feels heavy, and the weight of his status seems to fill every word. Beyond every other reason to fell sorrow from this album, it is a reminder what a fucking pity every early loss of a great artist is. That there are so many who did not get to flaunt the talent and wisdom of an elder artist is a shame. This album is amazing 5/5
Sombre and sad. Felt very melancholy whilst still powerful. You can get caught up in the music and suddenly focus back in on the vocals and get trapped by the melancholy again. Title track is excellent, as is Hurt (of course).
the only country album i’ll give a 5
Really great. You can tell the age
I always love the opportunity to listen to the Man in Black. <3
the album that put him back into the limelight. stripped down production to expose his aging voice, warts and all to expose a naked haunted man for the world to seee. some redone Cash classics like, "Give My Love to Rose" and "Tear-Stained Letter" and some reworked classics like "In My Life" and "Bridge over Troubled Waters" and some present day tunes like Nine Inch Nails, "Hurt" and "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode. Classic Album. if you haven't heard his other Rick Rubin "american" recording series: American Recordings (I), Unchained (II), Solitary Man (III), and Hundred Highways (IV), i highly suggest them.
This album is an unbelievable example of how one person with one guitar can make you feel so many emotions. This is as good as Johnny Cash gets in my opinion, and he is doing it at the end of his days well, well after his glory days. Hurt might be the greatest cover ever, and maybe best music video ever. When the Man Comes Around easily a top ten greatest Christian rock song. Great album.
Johnny Cash: It’s risky to take a lot of songs and cover them in a way that on another day I may call inspired. But Johnny Cash did very little with them so to accommodate his vocal range, and I think that helped the album land on its feet. I think the song selection was mostly very wise - to take timeless songs like O Danny Boy, In My Life, and Bridge over Troubled Water, you give yourself a great canvas. I chuckled when I put together that Personal Jesus was a Depeche Mode, because it made me think about old country Johnny Cash listening to Depeche Mode in his free time. Overall, I don’t know if I would listen to this full album again, but as a swan song (plot twist: he released another album after this one), I think it’s quite good. Johnny Cash’s voice carries it in a way only he could. 8.5/10.
This might be one of the best albums of all times. Johnny Cash out does himself and America and the world was never the same after.
Some of his best stuff!!
What a moving and beautiful collection of songs. Cash really makes the covers on here his own, and his voice is perfect for this style of music. I love the simplicity of the sound on this album, and honoring all the artists on here is a great way to bookend your career. This definitely sounds like a classic. Favorites: Give My Love To Rose, Bridge Over Troubled Water, I Hung My Head, Sam Hall, Desperado, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Streets Of Laredo
Mixed feelings on Rick Rubin, but he really did something special with these American recordings for Johnny Cash. All culminating here in a powerful musical statement that is impossible to divorce from the context of Cash's image, stature, and point in his life. The curation of covers and old Cash tunes is incredibly strong, the instrumentation does just the right amount of embellishment, and everything is in service of that voice that only seemed more powerful with the grit and the waver that age brings. Sign offs don't get much better than this.
Listening to this first thing in the morning. Fucking brutal tbh.
These albums made by a legend who knew this would be his/her/their last definitely hit extra hard.
Brilliant album, mostly good, a few duffers but worth a few bob just for "Hurt" and "Personal Jesus"
Phenomenal album, Hurt still hits like the first time I heard it.
Super album!
Quite possibly Cash’s best work just for the title track and “Hurt” alone. If it weren’t for the few originals it would likely be the greatest covers album ever. “Hurt” still gives me chills every time.
A really good album for remembering the power of Johnny Cash. 5 stars or A-.
beautiful, beautiful stuff, mostly covers and his own stuff. he breathed new life into the covers and his own songs were amazing. His voice was something else despite his age. Hurt is the best cover ever made.
10/10
Todella kaunis albumi. legenda käytti viimeisetkin hetket musiikin tekemiseen. Tiedostaa että aika on lopussa ja kappaleet kyllä reflektoi sitä todella paljon. Hurt on kyllä yksi lyyrisesti kauneimpia ja surullisimpia kappaleita mitä olen koskaan kuullut.
Incredible production. Amazing voice - Rick Ruben did an awesome job on this
There must come a time in a man’s development when Johnny cash suddenly becomes good. It probably correspondes with frontal lobe development. I remember listening to him occasionally when my dad would play him and thinking “I don’t get it this is boring”. And now listening to this I’m so grateful it came back around when I can appreciate and enjoy it
Love this album. Johnny Cash is amazing, and this album at the end of his life sounds world-weary and wise, covering songs with such assistance as to make them his own.
Brilliant. Cool to hear Mr. Cash sing different songs. Loved it.
Solid 4.5. Tem uma seleção bem específica de covers, e todos funcionam, alguns até mais que as músicas originais. Cash performa de uma forma melancólica, e gera arrepios ao lembrar que esse é o último álbum lançado em vida.
"It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks."
4.5/5
Quand on a passé une partie des années 90 enfermé dans le studio d'une radio libre, puis derrière le comptoir d'un disquaire indépendant à trier des imports de chez Touch and Go, Southern Records ou Mute, on développe une certaine exigence absolue en matière de tripes sur la table. Et sur ce point, l'année 2002 nous a offert la claque ultime, le truc que personne n'avait vu venir sous cette forme-là, une déflagration acoustique qui a renvoyé tous les petits corbeaux du rock gothique et les théoriciens du post-rock à leurs chères études. Je parle bien évidemment d'American IV: The Man Comes Around de Johnny Cash, un disque qui n'est pas seulement un chef-d'œuvre, mais un véritable monument funéraire érigé à la gloire de la musique populaire. Ce quatrième volume de la série des American Recordings est le son d'un homme qui regarde la mort en face, avec pour seules armes sa guitare acoustique et une voix brisée qui fout littéralement les jetons. Le coup de génie de Rick Rubin, ce producteur barbu qui a pigé avant tout le monde que la lourdeur d'un morceau ne dépend pas de la puissance des amplificateurs mais de la charge émotionnelle qu'on y fout, a été de sortir Johnny Cash des griffes d'un Nashville industriel et clinquant qui l'avait abandonné comme un vieux chien pour le foutre à nu dans un studio de Los Angeles. Le résultat est d'une sécheresse biblique, un truc rêche et lourd. C'est l'antithèse absolue de la pop formatée qui commençait déjà à gangrener les ondes au début du millénaire, un témoignage brut d'un vieillard agonisant qui s'apprête à enterrer toute la scène rock mondiale avec une dignité royale et terrifiante. Le cœur de ce disque, ce qui en fait un pilier indestructible de ma discothèque est cette capacité hallucinante qu'a Johnny Cash à s'approprier les morceaux des autres pour en faire ses propres psaumes, ses propres confessions nocturnes. Quand on a bouffé du rock indépendant et du post-punk toute sa jeunesse, on connaît la version originale de Hurt par Nine Inch Nails, ce morceau craché par Trent Reznor avec des larmes de métal et de l'héroïne plein les veines. Mais quand Cash s'en empare, la chanson change de dimension géologique, elle se vide de son apparat industriel pour ne laisser que la carcasse, la poussière et le regret absolu d'un homme au bout du rouleau. On entend chaque respiration difficile, chaque frottement de corde comme si le spectre de l'Homme en Noir était assis là, dans la pièce, à nous raconter sa déchéance physique et sa quête de rédemption. La force de cet album réside également dans son morceau-titre, une composition originale de Cash qui ouvre le bal et qui pose les bases d'un folk apocalyptique d'une puissance biblique rare. Avec ses références directes au Livre de la Révélation, ses quatre chevaux de l'Apocalypse et son rythme de marche militaire, le morceau avance comme un rouleau compresseur. C'est du grand, du très grand Johnny Cash, le genre de titre qui vous donne l'impression que le ciel va s'effondrer sur votre tête à la fin de la chanson. Ma culture musicale, forgée dans les caves des musiques sombres, me pousse à chercher la tension dramatique partout, mais je dois bien avouer que rarement un morceau n'a atteint un tel niveau de ferveur et de noirceur sans jamais avoir besoin de hurler ou de monter le volume. Le silence entre les notes est parfois plus lourd à porter que la musique elle-même, et c'est là qu'on reconnaît le génie absolu de la production de Rubin, qui a su capter la vérité nue d'un artiste en train de s'éteindre. Je souris encore en repensant à la manière dont il s'approprie le Personal Jesus de Depeche Mode, transformant un hymne de stade synth-pop en un blues de bayou poisseux et féroce, où la guitare acoustique claque comme un coup de fouet sur le dos d'un pécheur. Il y a une irrévérence totale et une liberté absolue dans ce disque qui me rappellent les grandes heures de la radio indépendante des années quatre-vingt-dix, cette époque où l'on pouvait passer un morceau de néofolk oppressant juste après un vieux blues crasseux sans que personne ne vienne y trouver à redire. Cash fait sauter toutes les barrières des genres musicaux avec la décontraction du vieux parrain qui n'a plus rien à prouver à personne, et certainement pas aux critiques de rock pédants de la presse spécialisée. Qu'il chante Sting, les Beatles ou des vieux standards de la country chrétienne des années cinquante, il unifie tout sous sa bannière de deuil et de ferveur. Ce disque est un voyage sans retour, une expérience immersive et douloureuse dont on ne ressort jamais tout à fait indemne, surtout si l'on a passé sa vie à chercher la vérité cachée derrière les larsens et les mélodies dissonantes. On sent que le bonhomme est fatigué, que ses mains tremblent sur le manche de sa guitare, que sa voix vacille sur les notes les plus hautes, mais c'est cette fragilité qui est sa plus grande force. C'est le triomphe de l'humain sur la machine, de la sincérité absolue sur le marketing foireux de l'industrie du disque qui tentait déjà à l'époque de tout lisser, de tout corriger à grands coups d'Auto-Tune et de compressions numériques dégueulasses. Ici, rien n'est propre, rien n'est poli, les imperfections sont laissées de côté pour privilégier l'émotion brute, celle qui vous remue les tripes à deux heures du matin quand vous êtes seul face à vos démons dans le noir. Je me refuse catégoriquement à dresser une liste clinique des réussites de cet album car ce monument ne se découpe pas en morceaux choisis, il se prend dans la gueule d'un seul bloc, de la première à la dernière seconde. C'est une œuvre testamentaire universelle qui transcende les époques et les goûts musicaux, un phare de noirceur lumineuse qui continuera d'éclairer les amateurs de musique authentique bien après que notre génération ait passé l'arme à gauche. Si vous n'avez pas ce disque chez vous, si vous n'avez jamais frissonné en entendant le final de Hurt ou la gravité de We'll Meet Again, vous passez à côté de l'essence même de ce qu'est le rock 'n' roll dans sa forme la plus pure et la plus noble. American IV est un chef-d'œuvre impérissable, et son statut de monument est désormais gravé dans le marbre de la liste des "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
Classic set of covers by a classic voice and artist
Suena a que se le va la vida al Johnny Cash. Country suave y con sonido a nostalgia constante. Relaxing y triste.
Iconic songs covered by a legendary performer, what more could you want.
Ну что за гений Рик Рубин. Вытащил из небытия еще далеко не сказавшего свое последнее слово, но уже забронзовевшего и хорошо всеми забытого Кэша, дал ему гитару, посадил в своей гостиной и сказал: "Играй". И тот наиграл на замечательный альбом, положивший начало целой серии American Recordings. И к четвертой части просто все сошлось: Кэш подошел в прекрасной форме, приглашенные звезды внесли существенный вклад, а Рубин в очередном порыве гениальности дал ему такие песни, какие кроме него вряд ли бы кто-то додумался дать. Ну да, в сотый раз перепевать фолк-стандарты и народные песни конечно хорошо, но что если вместо этого исполнить на акустике Depeche Mode, Стинга и Nine Inch Nails? Хотя стандарты с альбома никуда не делись, но именно перепевки более современных хитов сделали не только эту часть, но и всю серию такой цепляющей и запоминающейся. Даже каверы на Beatles, Eagles и Simon & Garfankel, которые и так в оригинале акустические, настолько мощно и душевно исполнены, что для меня затмили оригиналы. Ну а про Hurt стоит ли вообще что-либо говорить - в копилку каверов, настолько удачно переосмысленных, что сами авторы оригинала признали, что теперь это не их песня. Нежно люблю весь альбом и с огромным удовольствием переслушал
Тооооп, его гли-момэнт!
💔
Surely an album of mostly covers can’t be that good? Yes it can. Weirdly the version on Spotify does have Big Iron as the final track unlike the original release I had.
the last album johnny cash released during his lifetime. a slow and sad country album performed by an elderly cash, looking back at his life and having more than enough thoughts about... well, the end. the lyrics and the symbolism are as clear as you could make it. the album is composed of music from all sorts of people, yet they share a common theme... reflection, regret... it's one of the few albums out there that feels very genuine when it comes to how sad it's supposed to be. his life was long, and he's had at least a few thousand mistakes... but it was a life well lived. and maybe someday... he'll meet his friends and family again. the album is very powerful.
hungover this morning. fuck
Honestly, I’ve heard some of the songs before, but didn’t realize how hugely emotional this album is. There is one or two songs. I didn’t necessarily care for the overall this one is an amazing project, amazing. Five stars.
Hurt alone gives this album 5*.
"I don't like Country and Western" "What about Johnny Cash" "Obviously that doesn't include Johnny Cash"
Phenomenal album.
Probably rate is 4.5/5 There were a few places that dragged a bit, but otherwise amazing and very emotional
I came into American IV already balls deep in the Cash cult, ushered in by Granny Mackey like some tiny disciple of doom-country gospel. Anything remotely country-western repulsed me as a lad, but Cash SPOKE to me. Bias declared, laminated, and buried in a shoebox with a black shirt and a Werther’s Original. But man alive, this record is devastating. The song choices fit Cash so perfectly it feels less like covers and more like the universe backing a dump truck full of mortality directly into my stupid gullet. His voice is cracked, weather-beaten, and absolutely not done kicking ass. Most artists hit this stage and the performances can feel like a dry saltine wearing a sequin vest, but Johnny still sounds like he’s got hellfire in one pocket and hard-earned mercy in the other. Instrumentation is stripped down, beautiful, and smart enough to get the hell out of the way. It lets every ounce of ache, regret, faith, stubbornness, and old-man BDE thunder come through clean. American IV isn’t just a late-career victory lap. It’s Johnny Cash staring down death, cracking his knuckles, and saying, "who would like a slice of daddy?"
When this poetic career retrospective album was released, I remember the collective chatter, the pomp and circumstance, the reverence and respect and awe and outpouring of support from the music community and fans for Johnny - and I have to agree, this album has some heavy, heavy hitters that are brought to life through Johnny's aged vocals and perspective. What a fucking legend. Stand-out tracks: The Man Comes Around, Personal Jesus, Hurt
A cover album so well done that you would think that Cash wrote all the songs himself
Bob Dylan was upset by these records because he felt like you could hear how sick Johnny was. You can, but also it shows one of the greatest who ever did it still spinning masterpieces on their way out the door. The title track is one of those songs that makes one a believer.
Fantastic renditions of classics
A man in total control of his performance. Suprising variety. Some definitive covers. A highlight in an excellent series.
This is one of the best cover albums I have ever heard. From a legend. He makes the songs his own, he has so much emotion and feeling, it’s just wonderful.
I can see why people like Johnny Cash so much. His voice is great and his songs have a lot of emotion. Excited to hear more of his albums!
crack my heart right open
Legendary
I love me some Johnny Cash. This album is done very well, and the song selection is very good.
Wonderful album. Listened to it from front to back 3 times the day it came out. Lots of ups and downs.
Bien.
Damn, so good and solid. Simple but not sparse, very clearly heartfelt. First album in this project that I immediately queued up for a second listen, as soon as I was done with the first. The last track about made me cry.
Fantastic album. This cover of Hurt is really what brought me to Cash in the first place and I have loved and listened to this album many times over the years. Another five stars for Johnny.
Stripped back yet so full of life; Johnny’s voice shines through in his life’s final work. Existential crisis at the gym.
Brilliance
I got this one when it came out. I love it. It's amazing. How dark it is but also you het some of the Cash gusto too.
I love this record, all songs are strong and memorable, and that this was his last adds something.
4.5 rounding up. A couple covers that I wish were left off. But this is an incredible album. Hurt is the hit and highlight. Emotion that rarely comes through on record.
Im not into country but this album is definitively special. Covers by a legend from other legendary bands. A master songwriter paying tribute to other master songwriters and using his deep depressing dark voice giving the songs a new darker rendition. Loved it. If I commit suicide this will fldefinitively be on the CD playing with a few others
Incredible, pressing, and melancholic. A masterpiece from Johnny Cash.
Its impolite to make a man cry at work, and yet this album did so anyways.
i really liked this. this shit moved me. he breathes so much life into these songs. I was so distracted by johnny and fiona apples performance on bridge over troubled water that i didn't realize it was a simon and garfunkel cover. such a beautiful and sombre album. idk what it is about that makes it stand out so much to me, I just like it a whole lot.
Instant classic
Weil Worte fehlen: 🥹 🥲 😭 😮 😔 😮💨 🤠 Stop Hating Coversong.
Only critique is it sounds a little over produced but otherwise this shows that Cash truly transcends genres and decades of music.
HOLY SHIT AN AWFUL DWIGHT YOAKAM ALBUM FOLLOWED BY JOHNNY CASH? Am I being repayed by the country music gods? Much ink (digital and physical) has been spilled regarding the deterioration of modern music. This is especially true on this site, full of the most annoying (boomer and gen-x) music listeners, who can't bare to acknowledge their nostalgia bias. It would be easy to look at an artist like Cash, then look at modern mainstream country music and conclude that Country music is dead, I certainly wanted to while listening to this album (especially after listening to Dwight Yoakam, whose artistry I despise), but I reject that notion. If you exam contemporary country music with any depth you'll find many artists doing the "Johnny Cash thing". And that is just it. Johnny Cash influenced everything that makes good contemporary country, good. Anyway, my ramblings about Cash aside, this album is so good. Dare I say it is Cash at his strongest. Even up to his death he was innovating while leaning on his strengths. This album has it all, its highly listenable, beautiful, and damn if it doesn't make me want to weep. 5/5
an old man's death knell. I listened to this album a lot. I remember hearing When The Man Comes Around during the intro to The Dawn of the Dead remake and it stuck with me. This album also contains everyone's favorite trivia bit by the friend who cant stop telling everyone, Hurt is actually written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and Johnny Cash did a cover! There, now you never have to hear that again. That being said, I love the song, and sure, its overplayed, its message is subtle as a bag of bricks, but man, the very end when the silence hits always makes me feel empty. I could go on, but there is a lot here that I love, and its strange to hear Johnny Cash just sing himself out, knowing he didnt have much time left. here's a little tidbit, I used to work a pizza job in Vancouver, BC. One day I was working a morning/afternoon shift by myself and put my phone on while making orders. We'll Meet Again started playing, and I forgot that by the end of it, he has a whole chorus of elderly people singing along with him, I had the music cranked and I went in back to grab something and when I came back up front, I saw that someone had come in, and they had been waiting to order for who knows how long, just hearing this cacophony of noise of old people shouting the end to this song ringing through an empty store.
One of the best albums in my collection.
Love Johnny Cash. I have mixed feelings about covers. I feel like w/ in my life and bridge over troubled water I just wouldn't listen to a cover over the original, but like I didn't even know hurt was a cover til I looked it up. Wildly impressive that he died still putting out great music. Thinking about Paul McCartney and Fuh You.
This is one of the only oldhead albums that deserves to be revered. Great album
10/10
Brilliant
I was obviously familiar with his cover of Hurt but this was my first time listening to the whole album in full. I love the contrast of Johnny's voice with the more contemporary songs he's chosen to cover. Really great album that I'm grateful exists.
Is this the greatest album ever? No. Is it the finest guitar playing or singing in music history, hell even in Johnny Cash's career? Also no. Is this an album that beautifully ties together the legacy and sound of an American music icon? 100% yes, and that is why this record gets a five from me. The arrangements are elegantly simple. The track selection is gorgeous, and its ordering tells a masterfully woven story. The duets seamlessly connect past to present. Overall, this album creates an atmosphere that properly celebrates one of this country's most important musical figures. Johnny knew he was towards the end of his life, and this is his parting gift. What a reflective, celebratory, and ingeniously straight-forward gift it is.
I absolutely love this album!
Fuck it, this shit is 5 stars. Idc if its got a bunch of covers and all, its got iconic shit all a year before he died. He went out and chose violence before his death that has only really been seen with Bowie's Blackstar since then. These are definitely good cover choices too before dying and its got Fiona Apple.
For those first few trembling piano bars at the beginning of Personal Jesus alone, it's a five for me. Stunning record.
Brilliant. Includes ones of the best cover versions of all time.
Bravo
This is quite a depressing album, with quite a sad background. An artist driven to work by the death of his life, almost dead himself, singing very sparse and gloomy-sounding songs. I had listened to Hurt before, and also a few of the other tracks individually, but never the whole album back to back. It was sad, I cried a little, but it was also a most excellent experience. Five stars.
Deeply intimate and sad. Cash in his truest form.
Una delicia
Really good album. Some of the covers are improvements, some just don't work here but still an incredible listen. Taking big iron out in the reissue it's criminal.
I was having some oatmeal and the Johnny started singing Bridge Over Troubled Water, and I felt a little teardrop forming. I said, damn, I’m just trying to have some oatmeal.
Me sorprendió muchísimo por que usualmente no me inclinaría a escuchar country en mi daily basis, pero Cash me ha hecho repetir 3 veces el álbum en menos de 24 horas. Honestamente, no le daba la fe, pero ahora entiendo. Hay un par de canciones como lo son "Give My Love To Rose", "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" y "Tear Stained Letter" que derrochan emoción y una narración impecable. Los covers como "In My Life", "Bridge Over Troubled Water" y "We'll Meet Again" le dan un toque de cambio a las temáticas, pero pegándose a una narrativa rica en recursos. Siendo un album casi que completamente conformado por reinterpretaciones, con la voz de cash es casi hipnótico. Ninguna canción está "de más". FIONA APPLE!!
My favourite of the American Recordings, when Mr Cash sings "Hurt" I am getting goosebumps for years. RIP Mr. Cash. Fav: Hurt
Mortality, old timey coziness, deeply personal and amazingly beautiful. A goodbye letter.
An excellent last album from an American icon who always stood up for and eased the burden of society's unfortunatem. Surprised how good his voice is considering his age and health condition. Some of my all time sad songs on here. God Bless Johnny Cash!!
At 70 years of age the Old Troubadour is still head and shoulders above so many other lesser talents. Plus 1 for making good music from things like Nine Inch Nails and Red Hot Chili Peppers and another plus 1 to cancel out some Gen Z whiner who’s going to give this a 1.
Love this album.
Hurt is *stunningly* good (and this is coming from a huge fan of Trent Reznor's original). ★★★★★
Cash's final work with some of his most famous covers (Hurt, Personal Jesus).
Devastating
If Hurt doesn't demolish your will to live for the time being, you're a sociopath
Great comeback and great album
First album I’m reviewing recorded by a Columbo guest star!
Viiden tähden ääni, viiden tähden fiilis! 5/5
3/3. So fucking good, I only knew about Hurt before this but the whole album blew me away. To produce something like this the year before you die is real legend shit. Personal Jesus literally made me laugh at how good it was, just unreal.
My brother frfr
Album #62: American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash Genre (W): Country Singles: Personal Jesus, Hurt I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: This is a beautiful album. The acoustic renditions and heartbreak in Johnny Cash’s voice have left me speechless. “Hurt” is the greatest song cover of all time. I love every song on this album. Favorite songs: All of it!!
5 stars
Johnny fucking Cash Ça s'écoute tout seul Et surtout la masterclass qu'est Hurt (dans la B.O. de Logan en plus) J'allais oublier The man comes Around aussi comme banger (c'est littéralement le titre de l'album) Bon j'ai réécouté mieux (mieux que dans le métro) Bah masterclass Par contre ça fait très vite vieux monsieur triste donc pour ceux qui cherchent un truc qui file la banane c'est pas le mieux
Wow. Does Johnny know how to cover a song or what??!
The Man continues to inspire
When the Man Comes Around is a great opener Not much more to say about Hurt that hasn’t been said already - an outstanding example of how an artist can take an existing song and make it their own Cash’s voice has aged, but still can sound both powerful and delicate as each song requires Give My Love to Rose is a nice tune There’s a nice selection of covers with some interesting arrangements. Of those, highlights for me are Personal Jesus, Sam Hall, Desperado, and Streets of Laredo. And hearing the aged voice of Cash singing In My Life is incredibly moving. Overall, this is just a great listen both in and of itself and even more so with knowledge of Cash and popular music history as a whole.
Hey did you guys know that Trent Reznor said Hurt isn't his song anymore? Noone ever mentions that. But seriously its an amazing song on a great album. Favourite songs: Hurt, I Hung My Head, Wichita Lineman, Big Iron
5/5 - While a huge fan of Hurt when this came out I don't know I've ever really given this album its due. It's fantastic. The covers are exceptional. And the final song "We'll Meet Again" when taken in the context of this being his last album is tragic. Amazing record.
It's incredible that we have these recordings.
good
Y’all get mad at Tom Waits rambling on and on over a couple songs but overlook SIXTY-BLODDY-SEVEN studio albums of another man doing the exact same thing! This is like that one HR meme where the good looking guy gets away with harassment while the overweight coworker gets to talk with HR… Brandon, I triple dog dare you to do a discography review of Johnny Cash. ANYWAY, this is a good album. And I’m a fan of good covers - of which he has many on this album. This album is a great farewell. I liken it to Harrison Ford getting a lifetime achievement award. Love that “We’ll Meet Again” is the final track considering this was also a project for his kids.
absolutely wonderful. have always loved his cover of Hurt, I kinda don't care about Bridge over Troubled Water but his cover is wonderful and Fiona Apple sounds soooo good. is cover of I'm So Lonesome is a little underwhelming but that's just because you can't beat the Cowboy Junkies' cover and that's not his fault.
In my household Johnny Cash is a hero, end of story! I don’t blame Trent Reznor for relinquishing his ownership of Hurt. Even though I first heard this almost 2 decades ago, this album is still one of the most somber, bleak, but strangely hopeful projects I’ve ever heard. I was watching The Road today which really bummed me out, and some part of me feels like this album may be the last one that ever plays.
heard of johnny cash but never listened. cried several times while waiting for soccer practice to be over
It is a truly beautiful record, and it’s staggering to realize this was Johnny Cash’s 76th album and the last before his passing. His vocals are raw and haunting, carrying a weight that lends incredible depth to the mix of contemporary covers and re-recordings of his own classics. Despite not being a typical fan of country or Americana, I found the album captivating; tracks like Hurt, and Personal Jesus to some extent, now feel synonymous with Cash rather than the original artists. With guest features like Fiona Apple, the project feels both fresh and timeless.
This remains one of my all time favorites. I remember clearly how I felt listening to it for the first time, and I still get that same feeling every time!
Five stars, five stars, five stars. Only a few artists can deliver such a powerful and meaningful work at the end of their lives (Bowie being the only other example that springs to mind). I've listened to this album off-and-on for years and its power never diminishes. It is a man reflecting on his life in song. It is introspective and aware in every painful and beautiful way of what is coming. The cover of "Hurt" is five star worthy alone; everything else just adds to it.
One of my favorite albums that I have listened to more than just about any other
I love 50s country Johnny and adore his 1990s American Recordings. Even though I am not a fan of covers, these songs, done in his honey-rich voice are magnificent. I am considering though why this one of his American Recordings was chosen, and wonder if the rest are here. My favourite is American Recordings II: Unchained. His rendition of Southern Accents and the title track make me cry like a baby bird.
Johnny Cash had such a powerful and commanding voice during his time, and it really shines in this final release of his. The arrangements are light (mostly acoustic guitars and pianos), but so beautiful, and Cash's vocals enfuse the songs with emotion and he does make them his own (this is an album of covers with a few exceptions). "Hurt" was already one of my favorite songs prior to listening to this album, and I now love "I Hung My Head", "Personal Jesus", and "In My Life". This is a truly amazing piece of work from one of his generation's best storytellers and voices.
Just great, done brilliantly
It's like sitting and listening to your grandfather spinning yarn after yarn about his fascinating life. Johnny Cash leans into the aging limitations of his voice, and brings his profound humanity to each song on the record. His cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" is iconic, but I'm also partial to his rendition of Sting's "I Hung My Head." I don't know that it lives up to Cash's heyday, but it's quite the swan song for such a legend.
Breathes new life and emotion into songs I have heard too many times before. Fragile, poised and beautiful. Moved me to tears.
Trop bien, un classic
The whole album is incredible, I challenge anyone not to listen to this without getting a little bit emotional. Cash conveys a profound feeling of sadness which is so haunting and beautiful. What an amazing gift he gave the world before his passing
Amazing. No notes.
One of the greatest artists of all time. Hurt and Personal Jesus alone would make this a great album. This fragile voice...
Te amo johnny
For ein mann!
Another album that I wouldn’t have listened to otherwise, and it was definitely a beautiful yet somber album that I couldn’t listen to in one go. Cash has such a low, calming yet powerful voice, and every lyric feels so full of grief and reflection. The album really highlights his feelings of existentialism and religious convictions towards the end of his life. Bridge Over Troubled Water was definitely one of my surprising favourites.
Laid on the floor and it was nice to lay on the floor and listen to it. It’s good, sad, at one point got bored and talked while it still played. And sang along a few times also as well.
Exceptional record. Strangely nostalgic, yet fresh.
Wow, strength and fortitude from a dying legend.
I memorized this album when I was 16 and I still know it all to this day.
Álbum incrível. Gostei muito dos covers. Muito intimista, quase que como se fosse um agradecimento
Cash’s 67th and final album, packed with gorgeous covers from all kinds of genres, is as powerful and poignant as ever. He really makes every song his own, such a storyteller even when the words weren’t originally his own, with his signature deep voice. I think you’ll be bloody hard pressed to find a Cash collection I won’t give 5 stars to, he’s just the absolute man. Plus bonus Nick Cave duet!
Excellent
One to look out for on vinyl.
Beautiful. Hearing Johnny Cash put his spin on a lot of good cover songs was really wonderful to listen to.
Timeless classic
Such a beautiful album, every song sung remarkably. legend
Perfect
Like so soothing. Reminded me to slow down especially because of how stressed I felt last night
Esse é incrível. Bridge Over Troubled Water com a Fiona Apple merecia vinte estrelas, lindo demais.
This version of Hurt is one of my favourite songs of all time, When the Man Comes Around is the best Johnny Cash original in my opinion and the rest of the covers are great and contribute to the overall retrospective theme of the album
This album is great!! It was a bit sad to listen to since it was Cash's last album.
Jonny Cash: The Hurt cover is great - I do think there may be one too many super slow and sparse covers. Like maybe we don’t need In My Life and Bridge Over Troubled Water? My favorites were: Tear stained letter, Sam hall, hung my head, We’ll meet again- such a perfect way to end an album
This album i think really showcases what a masterful singer he is. He covers such a wide range from cowboy standards to NIN and really captures the spirit and makes each story feel so genuine and emotional and completely his own. The arrangements are so simple but effective. The album credits are insane too i didnt know this record was so star studded
A beautiful album. Love Hurt. Love Danny Boy. Ending song is so sadly beautiful
Cash noch besser wenn er covered!
Best Song: Give My Love to Rose I don't think this album is truly a 5 but I love it, so it is for me The album convinces me that Johnny Cash's voice peaked in his old age. Although it contains many covers, his performance is so transformative and haunting and on songs like Hurt and Danny Boy, and I struggle to think of anyone who could replicate it. Of course it's not experimental, however the theme of mortality, redemption, judgment, and faith is so intense, and the footage of JC performing it is heartbreaking. Give My Love to Rose is a very underated Cash song imo.
Best: Danny Boy/ Give my love to Rose I went into this album with the mindset that a venerable JC, albeit very accomplished, just wasn’t for me. I was very wrong. I loved this album, to the point I listened to it through three times, annoyed for not having done it before. I obviously knew a few of the tracks already but assumed (bad, i know) that they were outliers in my general opinion. The grittiness/maturity/vulnerability(?) in Cash’s vocals made me so emotional, particularly on tracks such as Danny Boy, the blend between the sort of talking blues and singing made it sound more raw and intimate The covers are great and JC does them incredible justice, Hurt is one of my favourites on the album, for me, it feels like a completely different song from the original by NIN. My least favourite was probably Personal Jesus, simply because I love the original version of it so much and I thought the more sparse arrangement didn’t really work for me. Beautiful, perfect album.
Heartbreaking album from an incredible artist. What more can you say than that?
Each song kills me. Ending with We’ll Meet Again? Such a death. Side note: my favorite song has been I Hung My Head, which I later discovered was written by Sting. I still love it.
Holy Shit
My EX said she loves this album more than she ever loved me... Well, I Agree.
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?
Masterpiece
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.
uyuu
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.
Such a great album. So much emotion. Thank you Rick Rubin. Without this album, I would not have grown to appreciate Johnny Cash.
1. 10/10 2. 10/10 3. 8/10 4. 9/10 5. 10/10 6. 4/10 7. 8/10 8. 8/10 9. 6/10 10. 5/10 11. 9/10 12. 3/10 13. 7/10 14. 7/10 15. 10/10 5/5
Beautiful lyrics sung a little out of tune. Loved it.
Yeah this is beautiful Songs added to playlist: - The Man Comes Around - Hurt - In My Life - We'll Meet Again
One of my all time favourites from Johnny Cash
Great album but very depressing.
I wish Johnny Cash had lived long enough to cover everything.
PEAK. Very few, if any, bad songs. Hurt is obviously a stand out.
Masterpiece. It’s all (I think) covers, recorded not long before he died. Hurt is haunting.
What an album. It's what helped me understand Cash enough to go back and learn to love so much of his work. It's haunting and dark, then sweet and delicate, and never without the gravitas of a man who has been to the top and bottom of it all and learned what's really important as he confronts his final years. It's truly a crowning achievement.
There's something about the gravitas of his wisened, aged voice that transforms all of these songs. Do I like NIN's "Hurt"? Of course. Does it make me cry? Not until Johnny Cash sang it. Same with "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and some others. But what really got me on this listen was how moved I was by "Give My Love to Rose." A gift of this project is that I'm paying more attention to lyrics and the voices that sing them. I wouldn't have predicted giving this five stars before now, but it was incredible. Saving some extra flowers for Rick Rubin's sparse, slightly clipped production that gives this album an immediacy that feels like a ghost is in the room.
Gorgeous tale of him preparing for his death
A lovely capstone to an iconic American artist.
Álbum muy personal.
First 5 star album. Stunning album. The American albums are a great example of artists putting out high quality recordings at the end of their career. So much emotion and feeling in these songs. Really enjoy this every time I give it a spin.
Gonna give this a 10/10 - a classic.
Five stars just for Hurt
Loved, loved, loved.
EXCELLENT album i cried johnny cash my goat
Cash’s Rick Rubin phase was incredible. I really loved them all. This one has tons of great tracks, and Cash’s delivery is so weighted with experience that it gets me thinking of my own life. I also love the spare simplicity of these albums.
A great collection of reflective songs on a life lived. The covers invoked deeper emotions than the originals. 1st time listen to the full album, but I've heard more than half of the songs previously.