Reviews (page 2 of 13)
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.
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.
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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.
One of my favorite albums of all time. The only cover I don't love is the Beatles' In My Life, and even that one is pretty good, I just much prefer the original. Everything else, I love the interpretation and emotional resonance Johnny brings. Feels to me like he's performing songs from a hymnal of American music.
I had this one in the background while I was starting to make my new journal. This album really put my struggles into perspective when I was listening to it. This was his last album and I believe this was his goodbye to everyone, because he knew he was going to die. I felt like I have been engulfed in my struggles to really appreciate what I have. Like my struggles are not as bad as I make them sound to myself. Of course this album is really sad but I really did enjoy listening to this album.
fucking cracker of an album. forgot all about this one
I've listened to this a lot and there's a reason it's on this list. A lot of stuff that on paper is not my thing, but the voice and emotion captured here makes it worth a listen for pretty much anyone regardless of their musical interest.
really amazing capstone to a career and builds on his legacy.
Its an album of covers, but what covers they are!
In the most ridiculous way, trying to get down a review a day can feel a bit fatiguing. No one’s making me. No one’s expecting them. And yet the experience of trying to find something to say – even in the least possible jeopardy – is a thoroughly unpleasant one. It’s not for nothing we pay good money for people who can think something from nothing; there’s a premium attached to it. Sometimes you just want to listen to things. American IV feels primarily like the sound of Johnny Cash listening. Listening to Depeche Mode, to NIN, to The Beatles. But because he’s Johnny Cash, he’s drawing up blueprints too. Reverse engineering the tricks of contemporary pop and finding the notes of continuity between them and “Danny Boy” or Vera Lynn. Interrogating the songs until they admit what about them is irreducible. Invariably, what he hears in the songs and then gives back to us is simultaneously less and more than the original. It’s sublimation rather substitution, something closer to alchemy than interpretation; “In My Life”, to choose one example, was a wonderful song when dreamed into being on Rubber Soul … but for me only becomes a fully real masterpiece here. In American IV Johnny Cash locates what it is within a song that will see it pass safely into folkish tradition. It’s a startling act of cultural sociology; a contribution to the collective memory from a true artistic genius. A reminder, too, that every opportunity to just listen is a gift.
Johnny Cash has captured my attention for years. Listening to this album now, and even these "American" albums as a whole, it makes you step into his shoes and hear a finality in his voice. The notes that don't hit as crisp as they used to, but he still pulls you in. It's funny that I realize I am 20-25 years older since I first started listening to him. Now as I listen, I realize that some day I will feel that way, and I am not as far away from it as I used to be. Biggest Hit - Hurt Biggest Miss - (not that I can REALLY choose one) - Sam Hall Biggest Surprise - Desperado
Great music invokes strong emotions. Sometimes, knowing background and context of an album’s production helps with this translation. Among the last recordings from a legend, with failing health, who was watching his lifetime love fade away. Listen to the album knowing that Cash knew that he was at the end of his life. The recordings were punctuated with hospital stays. If you are reading this and have not seen the video for “Hurt”, do it now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bLLVKI2JRU If this doesn’t punch you in the gut, question your humanity. When Cash first played “Hurt” to his daughters they told him it sounded like he was saying goodbye, he told them he was. We can hear Cash saying goodbye in many places on this album. His failing voice adds to the poignancy. At points, Cash was in so much pain he had to record on line at a time. The Man Comes Around is part of five albums created with Rick Ruben and collaborators. This project created a comeback for Cash that ultimately resulted in his first No. 1 pop album since 1969 when American V was released following his death. It is pretty cool that a man who produced ~130 albums >1500 songs), over almost 50 years, was able to have a fitting final chapter to his life work. We should all be so lucky. This album opens stronger than it ends. However, I mentioned the emotional impact because when I listen to this album, by the time I’m through the first several songs I’m deeply emotionally invested. There is an austere beauty to this record and it kicks me in the ass every time I listen to it. That is enough. I suspect that this record will not resonate as strongly with some of the younger people participating on this project. However, this album is a great, if not fun, listen that everyone should experience at least once before they die.
Haunting and beautiful. Damn near perfect
It's a stunner and no mistake.
Dude Johnny cash is so bad ass. I give this album a 5 which I think is my second along with Judas Priest. It was his last album before he died and I felt like you could hear that in some of the songs.
This was really very beautiful. I despise the song 'Danny Boy,' but aside from that it was flawless and very poignant. A dying artist's reflection on his own death. I thought the version of 'We Meet Again' was lovely. Very moving
Wow...I really hate the new interface on this platform. It sucks. BUT this album is a 5 for Hurt alone. I love to sing it but I can hardly get through it without tearing up, every damn time.
Já nasceu clássico
Some beautiful versions of other artist's songs on this album, all delivered in Cash's gruff, gravelly, and spare style. While I don't necessarily love all the tracks, the album overall surely belongs in my collection, and deserves five stars.
This was great! I already lved Johnny Cash from his live prison albums, but this was a great combination of covers that he just knocks out of the park.
A wonderfully fantastic album. All the American albums are great, but this one is my favorite.
I was absolutely blown away by this album. I’ve long admired his haunting version of Hurt, but hearing it in the context of the full record makes it even more powerful. The rest of the album is mesmerising—raw, intimate, and deeply human. Cash’s voice carries a weight of experience that turns every track into a reflection on life, mortality, and redemption. It’s not just music; it feels like a final conversation with an old friend. A masterpiece
Iconic
An Absolutely Beautiful Sound to my Heart and Soul by way of my ears The Man, The Legend Himself Johnny Cash 🙏🏻
I love these albums. His voice at the forefront and the sparse arrangements make each of these songs memorable. And hurt is one of my favourite cash recordings which says a lot.
Theyre all covers, yes. And there’s different life in all of them. An older, fuller life conveyed heavily with each grizzled croon. There is very obviously a focus towards the future for Cash, thought not the future we tend to want to focus on. Because truly, when you have already done and lived a full life, a focus towards the future has to have death play no small part. Kingdom Come, Salvation and Damnation abound When the Man Comes Around. RIP, senõr. 4.3/5 5 for the vibes
Let's see what ole boy Johnny has on his way out. "The Man Comes Around" is so good. Johnny's a legend, a great singer and the age in his voice carries so much weight, especially in a song like this. Such raw music. The first time the full guitar backing comes in on this one feels so good. "Hurt" is one of the songs that everyone has heard from this album. Like Joel said, one of the best covers of any song ever. It's just beautiful. It feels like Nine Inch Nails wrote these lyrics for Johnny. This album is Johnny's final farewell, and that's captured very well in "Give My Love to Rose". He died the year after this was released, and it feels like a man confronting his end. Making peace with it. Getting his affairs in order. It's really beautiful and heartbreaking. The whole album feels really personal. It feels like you're sitting alone in a room with Johnny as he sings the rest of the life out of his body. Like he's giving his last performance right in front of you. I really love the range of artists he covers in this album. You've got Nine Inch Nails with "Hurt". You've got Depeche Mode with "Personal Jesus". Sting with "I Hung My Head". What's really crazy is how's he able to make all of these completely his own, to the point where a lot of people would point to Johnny's version as the one they know the best. And now we're at a Beatles cover with "In My Life", and, while I do tend to slander the Beatles, I'm going to continue because Johnny's version washes them so hard. Just another example of the his version becoming THE version. Why would I listen to the Beatles sing this song when I could listen to this instead. This whole album is just really gorgeous, not that I'm saying anything groundbreaking. Sitting down and listening to it in it's entirety really makes you reflect on life, on death, and on the beauty that comes with both. Such an important piece of art. There's no point in continuing to go song by song, the rest of this album continues to be so endearing, and sad, and happy, and beautiful. Each song in it's own way. I loved this.
To cover Nine Inch Nails and The Beatles on the same album and do them justice... 5/5
There is an undeniable magic on these recordings. All the arrangements compliment and make Cash's voice shine through on all the tracks. Though its mostly covers, this is an awesome collection. Rubins been chasing the magic of this since it released. Brought a tear to my eye, I love Johnny Cash so much.
4.5 Idk man it just gave me peace. I loved it and was cool listening without looking at the track list to see which covers would pop in. Read after this was his final album, which makes the final track fitting
Not typically the vibe I’d go for but this fricken slapped. Best album we’ve had in awhile. 4.7/5
Fantastic covers. Emotionally unmatched
This was the turning point where Cash went from Legend to Icon. Nit a bad song on it, nit a dry eye in the house. Great covers, great guests. Just a monster of an album.
An album of covers but the voice is so iconic, and hits that bit harder knowing he was close to the end.
5/5
It's a five star for Hurt alone, never mind the balance. Iconic.
RIP Johnny Cash you damn legend. A Musical savant till the damn day you died. Hurt gets the most credit, and deservedly so, one of the most transformative covers of all time. But man, I love the Personal Jesus cover as well. Eagles and Fiona Apple also helping with this album? What is there not to love about this. 5/5
IMMEDIATELY a ten out of ten album from the very first note. It's just so damn beautiful. His voice, the guitar... I'm guessing some people might be opposed to the covers, but in my opinion, they are truly remarkable. He adds a whole new perspective to those songs. The whole album feels very sad and somber, yet there are undertones of hopefulness as well. I don't think I ever truly appreciated Cash before listening to this album (as well as San Quentin). But wow. Wow wow wow. This whole album makes me feel like I'm sitting on a horse in the middle of a desert with my cowgirl hat dipped over one eye as I watch the sunset dip into the clouds. So. Freakin. Beautiful.
This album doesn't need much explanation. The best of Johnny Cash's latter works with the untouchable cover of NIN's - Hurt. It is mostly covers and great reworkings at that. Another stand out being Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode. The raw emotion of the Man in Black nearing the end or his life is somewhat overwhelming. Could be argued that although Cash didn't write much on this album it's some of his best works.
Loooove. Mir ist aufgefallen dass es eine Liebesgeschichte erzählt vom ersten Sehen bis zur Trennung aber der Überzeugung sich wieder zu sehen
Wonderful albun
Not first time listening. 5 This is such a good album and one that I really love. The way that Cash makes the cover songs his own is incredible, and the storytelling in the songs is so powerful. One of the only albums I can think of that gives me chills when I listen to it. The album has a very intimate feel to it, and you can really sense the emotion is Cash's voice.
Incredible that we were able to get these late era johnny cash recordings and such a good idea to go so covers heavy. Hurt obviously steals the show here but bridge over troubled water, I hung my head ,and personal Jesus are also great covers. And the whole album and while series is great and really cement Johnny Cash as one of the great American voices in music.
Love Johnny Cash forever
Masterpiece
We hebben via deze lijst al twee keer de enigszins lollige Johnny Cash gehad, waarbij hij opgenaaid werd door rowdy inmates. Nu krijgen we z'n zwanenzang. Ome Johnny heeft een haffel liedjes uitgezocht en heeft ze, en dit bedoel ik op een positieve manier, toegeëigend. Hij gaat met al die liedjes volledig aan de haal en doet er z'n eigen enigzins saaie maar toch fascinerende ding mee. Z'n stem en ogen willen niet meer en volgens de Wiki z'n hart ook nog maar amper, maar hij doet nog één keer z'n trucje. Eigenlijk zouden alle artiesten met één been in de kist zoiets moeten doen als laatste afzwaaier. 'Beste Zangers' maar dan met artiesten van wie het lichamen het eerstvolgende nachtvorstje de pijp aan Maarten gaan geven. Dan hoeven we ons meteen niet meer af te vragen of die tranen die er steevast vloeien oprecht zijn of een stukje aanstellerige marketing. Ik vind niet elk nummer even geweldig en de nummers die het verst van country afstaan zijn eigenlijk het leukst, maar door de manier van zingen zit het wel allemaal tegen het iconische aan natuurlijk. Er valt vanalles weg op dit album en daardoor blijft er een soort pure muziek over, ook al hapert, piept en kraakt ome Johnny waar we bij staan. Ik geef hem 5 sterren. Een essentieel album in deze lijst.
Wow. I think the track listing is incredibly interesting. Pop & grunge rehashed in a folk ballad style and country outlaw music about death and youth sang by a man who started the genre, a man so close to the end of not only his career, but his life.This is probably country black star. Each song so haunting and darkly alluring. The age of Johnny cash seemingly changes the meaning of the music, especially through use of seemingly raw vocals that are enhanced by their weathered nature. Nearly cried the entirety of tracks 1-6.
One of my favourite albums of all time. All the American recordings are incredible but this tops them all. Majority of the covers better than the originals. Hurt and man who comes around are up there as top Cash. Stripped back it’s so emotive, probably best pre imminent death recording I can think of
I love this album! I own (digitally) all of the American albums and this one is not my favorite but it’s still a solid 5 stars for me.
Amazing album beginning to end. Listened to it 4 times in a row.
Emotional, peaceful, and heartbreaking at times — but always perfectly on brand. Cash turns every song into scripture, whether it’s his own words or someone else’s. The sound of a man making peace with the world.
This was the first Johnny Cash album I ever heard. Largely because "Hurt" was incredibly popular, my 16-year-old self was curious about this album, and even back then, knowing it was the last work he released in his lifetime, the whole album sounds like a beautiful and sad epitaph. All the versions performed by Cash carry an extra emotional weight, highlighting Rick Rubin's exceptional work in production. 5 absolute stars.
Beautiful beautiful album
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.... This album is comparable to hearing your grandfather pick out his 70 years of experience on Earth. Singing of his youth, songs that he himself wrote, and songs that were passed to him over the many decades of trials and tribulations. I understand American IV: The Man Comes Around to be a meditation on 20th century American music. The American spirit is palatable here...one of suffering, grit and entitlement. Personally I didn't care for "Personal Jesus". But when listening to it, one is reminded of the story told of Mother Maybelle Carter after first hearing "One Toke Over The Line". She thought it was a great song, mainly because of the "Sweet Jesus" bit and knowing nothing of the fact that it was a song about smoking too much weed. Cash covering Depech Mode is weird. But I'd like to think he wouldn't care what I thought (Damn your eyes!!!). I'd like to think he covered these tracks because he liked them regardless of what popular opinion was at the time, just like Mother Maybelle before him.
His voice may waver a bit with age, but somehow that just makes these songs better. His life experience and conviction shine through at every point and songs like Hurt and Personal Jesus are completely transformed in his voice.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
while it's true that almost every song is a cover song, the entire album is permeated with feelings that probably only a man, aware of his impending death, can feel and it's expressed in such a wonderful way
Best album of all time
Exceptional
When I saw a Johnny Cash album, this was the last thing I expected. Cash is one of the few American folk/country singers who I've ever liked, and this album is incredible. Such a dark album, full of raw emotion. My eyes got watery a couple times. Starting off with the darkest themes of the Christian Bible, the album is led with themes of the second coming, where everyone is either brought up to heaven or decimated. It's like a mass genocide of all the non-Christians. WWII? I can't say that too loud, otherwise ICE will probably have me in a Salvadorian prison sharing a cell with 50 other guys in minutes. (also no offense to anyone who practices Christianity, I was once very religious myself. I get it.) The album further goes to themes of pain and death from there. From there, after realizing that Jesus exists, it takes a violent turn, but the violence seems to be shameless. After this, we go into more somber music once again. There was a lot to like in this album. The lyrics about the Queen of diamonds and the Queen of hearts was one of the best country lyrics I've ever heard, although that is a low bar to clear. Cash knew that this would be the his that would be released during his lifetime. He wrote about the things that mattered to him. He seems to have been grieving himself and his own death through it. What an album to end on.
How do I begin? That works. Johnny Cash might not have had the best vocals at this point in his life, but that just makes this album hurt more. He definitely had some gas left in the tank and used it to put out one more amazing album before his death. All covers were chosen perfectly. Desperado, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry and We'll Meet Again are heartbreaking in the originals, but just get elevated by Johnny Cash. His original songs are also amazing, especially Give My Love to Rose. I am a huge Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, so seeing John Frusciante on Personal Jesus as well as a voice in We'll Meet Again in amazing. This whole album is just Johnny Cash saying goodbye and it could not be any more sad, but I like to feel emotions when listening to music. Usually that emotion is anger or happiness, but the sad ones hit the hardest. Words really just cannot describe just how amazing this album is.
This album is maybe a few songs too many, but I've never heard an album from such a big-time artist facing death. The raw emotion throughout is unbelievable. It's not perfect, but the highs are so incredibly high that it doesn't even matter. I want to listen to this album on repeat for the rest of my life. Someone who really understands what it means to be human. - 2002 Cash? Odd. Apparently the last album before he died - He's not really singing, but it's mesmerizing anyway. Almost like if Morgan Freeman was talking over instrumentals - Such emotionally charged songs. Sounds like a man facing his mortality - In My Life is so hauntingly beautiful - Beetles cover but hit it with the wisdom of a 70-year-old - I'm just so enchanted by his voice!!!
Third album by Cash in my first 50 albums here. I was not a fan of the artist and genre in general, however, these three albums made sure my opinion of him has improved. This album was the best of the three. Fragile, honest and some great cover songs on this album. 5/5
I mean... this was a bop. Fun that it was mostly/all covers!
Simple and classic
Is Johnny Cash the greatest country artist of all time? I don't know. I'm not an expert on the genre, but I know he's up there. He is easily in the uppermost echelon of country artists in terms of acclaim, and it's only fitting that he got to go out in such a beautiful way. This, of course, is the final album released in his lifetime, American IV: The Man Comes Around. The fact that Johnny was even able to succeed at the very end of his life in a way like this is immensely respectable. Think about it. By 1994, Johnny Cash had effectively "fallen off." He was a washed-up has-been in the people's eyes. But then, Rick Rubin shows up and starts helping Johnny do cover albums. They go pretty well, but it's with this final one in 2002 where the fruits of their labors are finally enjoyed by everyone. This has got to be one of the best musical swan songs of all time. I can't call it the best. It's not better than Blackstar, I'll say that. But I have got to give huge props to Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin, and everyone else involved for making this. Most of the songs here are covers, but Johnny does an excellent job with them and kind of makes some of them feel like his own song. "Hurt" is the obvious example here. I can't definitively call it better than the original Nine Inch Nails version. I think both versions are perfect for the artists in question. However, I think I do prefer Johnny's version myself. The others are quite good as well. "Personal Jesus" and "In My Life" are especially great to me, but that could just be because of how much I adore the original songs as well. I do prefer the originals in those cases, but when you make a Beatles cover that's almost as good as the original, you know you've got talent. There's even a few Johnny Cash originals that are nice to hear, like the title track. I think Johnny Cash's voice aged pretty well. It sounds nice here and it fits the themes. Speaking of themes, boy can this album be sad. There's a reason why many talk about death in regards to this album. It's mostly because this was Cash's last album before passing away in 2003, but the songs chosen here fit that as well. This feels like a soundtrack to Johnny Cash's life. Everything from his family, to his faith, to his death feel represented here. Some have compared this album to Johnny Cash singing at his own funeral, which I feel is a really good comparison. It's that idea behind the album that makes American IV such a special listen. The emotions in Johnny's voice and the music at large work together to express the life of a man in just 50 minutes or so. It's kind of beautiful. The collaborations help bridge Johnny Cash's life to the history of music, with help from people like Fiona Apple, Don Henley, and Nick Cave in some wonderful duets. I don't think I could call this album perfect, but for what it's trying to be, it's pretty close. Even the production is great! This has got to be one of Rick Rubin's better production jobs. American IV is wonderful. Low 5/5.
I saw a documentary that talked about this collaboration between Rick Rubin and Johnny Cash, but never actually heard the album. What they accomplished is incredible. The song choices and the way Cash chose to perform them is amazing. He really made them his own. Rubin also helped Cash shine from a production standpoint. Great album!
Banger
This entire quadrilogy is great. Perfect choice of stripped down covers and excellent choices for backing vocals with Fiona Apple and Nick Cave.
This album was my first real introduction to Johnny Cash. I’d always known who he was growing up, but I wasn’t interested in country music back then. This album, though, is far more than just country. It’s the work of a man who knew he was nearing the final off-ramp of his life and chose to bare his soul one last time through a collection of hauntingly powerful covers. It’s so emotionally raw and beautiful that it often brings me to tears.
Another Johnny Cash album and another 5 stars! Never knew I was such a fan! His old man voice is so poignant and some of the covers to me now seem to be the quintessential versions. Touching and powerful. Tasteful use of Fiona Apple too!
Words fail me.
Johnny Cash, at the end of his life, sat with an eclectic mix of cover songs and turned them into a powerful meditation on life and death. A poignant and sometimes haunting death bed serenade. 10/10
This is one of the first albums I ever bought and some of the first songs I ever learned to play. I did not know Johnny cash farther than a cartoonish character of country music that was more fable than man. It wasn’t until a decade later I really started to see cash a a real person after reading Cash by Johnny Cash (because I was High Fidelity). Now 20 years later with more insight and understanding more of the songs chosen for this anthology, I can give it no less than an 5/5
Cash really makes a lot of these songs his own (especially Hurt). It's fascinating listening to such a famous artist dealing with his own mortality, which really pushes this album beyond just a collection of Johnny Cash blues songs. Favorite Songs: Hurt, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Streets of Laredo
Amazing album, although a bit of a cash grab. Hurt, first song whatever it is are the best
10
5/5
I'm hurt, you're hurt, we're all hurt.
The greatest american voice somehow gets better with age.
Love it. Own it.
Idée géniale de Rick Rubin. Quelle belle fin de carrière pour Johnny Cash. De la dizaine d'albums qu'il a fait avec American Recordings le IV est pas mal mon préféré. Le III ne donne pas sa place aussi.
Une belle leçon pour un "snob" musical comme moi. M. Cash nous montre ici que le style de musique est secondaire et que tout est dans tout. De Vera Lynn à Nine Inch Nails en passant par Depeche Mode, on peut tout faire country si on en a envie. Ça m'inspire on dirait, dans ce milieu, on veut toujours faire meilleur, plus vite, ou encore différent/novateur et lui a l'air de dire que l'important c'est d'y aller, de jouer son instrument, d'avoir du fun et le reste est secondaire. Peut-être que je suranalyse, mais c'était les choses qui me passaient par la tête, en écoutant ces arrangements simples et épurés, pogné sur un gros bouchon devant le pont Laviolette.
Album d'autant plus puissant qu'il allait mourir un an plus tard. Vraiment le chant du cygne d'un grand artiste. Hurt est incroyable. aussi beaucoup aimé I Hung my Head. Un peu déçu de Personnal Jesus. J'était excité par le duel avec Nick Cave, mais ce dernier est plutôt subtil et laisse beaucoup la place à Johnny.
Increíble. Cash hace su propia versión de muchísimos clásicos y les da una vida que creo que jamás me hubiera imaginado que tendrían. Me soprendió escuchar Personal Jesus e In my life en voz de Cash y sentir como si estuviera ante algo completamente nuevo. Pero la canción que una y otra vez me rompe el corazón y el alma es Hurt. La voz de Cash es espectacular y única. Se mete debajo de la piel y hace sentir cada nota, cada cosa que está sintiendo Cash al cantarla. Y leyendo un poco sobre el disco, me entero que fue el último publicado por Cash antes de su muerte, así que decir adiós así, es cosa de grandes. Y Johnny Cash fue de los enormes.
tracks 1-4 deeply affecting vocal performances, in spite of or maybe because of his aged/slightly more fragile-sounding voice at this point in his career. his version of hurt is one of the greatest things i have ever heard for reasons that are beyond simple human explanation - it has to be heard and sat with and you will absolutely get it. the solemnness and death hanging over this record at time of its recording contextualised by events contemporary to and immediately following its release, of course. think that is what makes "i hung my head" work so well for me in all its simplicity. the rendition of "first time ever i saw your face" stopped me in my tracks. version of "personal jesus" i could take or leave; a cool track to hear here but ultimately not one that his voice or approach could really lend any new fire or affect worth mentioning. "in my life" was perfectly fine if a bit ploddy and unremarkable. "sam hall" a welcome and jovial performance - a touch folkier, and not to harp on it, but fantastic out of his voice possibly because of his age and affect. "danny boy" - pretty, stripped-back tubular production going on here; a gorgeous song in its own right, does it justice. again, lots of death, life-lamenting etc. in these covers, hits me right in The Feels. harmony and mixing on desperado is absolutely nailed. gorgeous. come to your senses! opener is a very timely track but i didn't say that earlier. his version of "we'll meet again" here was absolutely beautiful - production leaning on two pieces of instrumentation and his vocal until you get the final lines delivered by his folks. hit me very hard. gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous album. strong. worst i could feasibly say here is one or two were unmemorable covers. most of them were good. track-listing could've shuffled slightly but it's really no biggie. he took ownership of these songs in a way only a very special few ever could, often only in singular instances. 9/10
Great song selection, minimal production and moving performances from a legendary at the end of a storied career.
Отличный, довольно лиричный и печальный альбом. Навевает настроениями ностальгии, воспоминаний и осмысления прожитых лет. Голос Джонни Кэша здесь звучит очень лично, как будто он лично тебе рассказывает свою историю. Это, наверное, один из лучших альбомов, которые я прослушал в генераторе.
A wonderful Album!
120626 23:17 4.5
AWESOME!!!
Love Johnny Cash, letsgo! Potverdikkeme, lang geleden dat ik zo'n lekker album heb gehoord. Johnny heeft duidelijk geluisterd naar Michael Scott, Keep It Simple Stupid! Muziek heeft geen rare fratsen nodig, gewoon een mooi melodieus, enigszins gevoelig gitaar rifje, met een fantastische lage rauwe stem erbij. Meer heb je niet nodig. En dat is precies wat Johnny je geeft. Hier staan echt een hoop (nieuwe) Favo's op zeg. Hurt, I Hung My Head, In My Life, Sam Hall, Deperado (al vind ik het origineel toch net wel beter), Tear Stained Letter, Streets of Larado & We'll Meet Again. Jeetje wat heeft ie een goede stem zeg. 5 reten.
Incredibly sad. RIP Johnny Cash
This album was so so good.
Great album, great voice, liked the covers
Still a great album with the best version of Hurt.
Yesterday I went to Taco Bell and Johnny Cash started playing. One of the works yelled "OHH MY GOD I HATE JOHNNY CASH!" and went on about why and stuff and all I could think is how wrong she absolutely was, and that was before I ever heard this album all the way through. Anyway this album is a perfect ending of his life, before Bowie's Blackstar there was this, and it's absolutely fantastic. I hope that lady at Taco Bell has a good day.
Anything less is diabolical
Man, there's just something about this album. It makes my ears feel good.
Álbum incrível! Alguns dos melhores momentos da música estão nele. Truthear Zero: Red.
sätter man inte 5 på den här är man död på insidan
ICONIC.
I’m a sucker for lonely, sad tones and this fits the bill. I like his strong but at same time weak vocals, like he’s holding on. Hurt is completely re-imagined in a more visceral manner and I love how the album ends, like Cash is saying goodbye. Beautiful.
Johnny Cash revived. Great selection of songs done by a master with unbridled emotion.
I have this whole series, it’s a lot. It’s superb, but has an aura of intense melancholy throughout. Maybe it’s just my retrospective viewpoint, but to me it is pretty dark overall. Like a man on his deathbed speaking to God….which maybe it sort of was. There are lots of surprise cover versions of songs you’d never expect (one of the other albums has a Soundgarden cover). But still, the Man in Black’s version of Hurt is absolutely devastating. Get the whole series and repent.
Better than Coldplay
The man in black owns every song on this album, even if they are covers. Dark and wonderful.
It's Johnny Cash, innit. Surprised by the amount of covers, some of which I thought didn't quite fully suit, but not in an unpleasant way.
Джонні я особливо ніколи не слухав з двох причин: 1) біля 70 альбомів в дискографії, це дуже багато та 2) я не те щоб супер поціновувач кантрі. Цей альбом я також не чув, лише кавер на NIN та Депешей. Знову ж таки знаю про контекст з Рубіном, але хз в якому стані був Кеш до нього і що він там записував. Цей альбом мені дуже сподобався. Незважаючи на те, що Кеш тут взяв на кавера відомі або дуже відомі пісні, в нього вийшло відійти досить далеко від оригіналу та дати пісням свій стиль та характер. Я б не називав цей альбом виключно кантрі, тут скоріше збірна амерікана з відчутним блюзовим, та особливо фолковим впливом на аранжування. Дуже подобається як на альбомі звучить голос Кеша і як звучать інструменти. Все дуже чисто, з виразними акцентами, ніби зводив Dr.Dre. Дуже сподобався альбом, за нагоди ближче ознайомлюсь з доробком виконавця
Johnny Cash, what a legend. And what a gift he keft the world just before he passed with this series of albums.
It's like listening to your grandpa singing songs by the fireplace, while the rain quietly pours outside. What's not to like?!
he hurt we hurted I hert
Not just hurt, a wonderful record of an aged genius. Hurt would be worth 5 stars alone.
Hurt 😞
pota
Album 870 of 1089 Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002) Rating : 5 / 5 Of course, I already knew “Hurt,” but I’ll admit I never really gave the whole album a second thought until now. I’ve always enjoyed Johnny Cash, but I figured this one was just an end-of-career set of covers. What I didn’t realize was just how much of himself he poured into each of these songs. This is a remarkable listen - so much that I went through it twice. Beyond “Hurt,” standouts like “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Desperado,” and “In My Life” hit with a quiet weight that only Cash could bring, keeping the whole thing at a level 5 all the way through. It’s more than just covers; it’s an artist near the end of his journey reflecting with honesty, humility, and depth. Immediate placement on the “Best Of” list for me. I know many folks already recognized the greatness of this album long ago, but it’s always nice to finally stumble onto the nut yourself.
I cheered out loud when I revealed this album today. Johnny Cash. The. Man. In. Black. This is probably as close to perfect as you can get. The Man Comes Around has been used for so many movies. He sang Hurt so well that Trent Reznor said the song was his now. Johnny Cash gives a new voice to some classic and contemporary songs. Desperado with Don Henley is a good tune too.