Reviews (page 9 of 13)
Pretty solid collection of Cash putting his own spin on famous songs. A couple of the adaptations weren’t the best (I didn’t particularly like In My Life or Personal Jesus much compared to the originals) but it’s generally quite good. 8/10
A moving curtain-closer from a country/rock legend. Johnny was slower in pace here than earlier efforts but was as deliberate and powerful with both his lyrics and delivery as ever. Touching on his faith, legacy and hopes for the future, he made a clear statement on what he wants to be remembered by and forgiven for. He included a few interesting although potentially filler covers/tributes but also staked a final claim for the hearts of one last generation with the epic Hurt . The man comes around, Hurt, love to Rose, Danny boy 3.6
I’m not sure I’ve actually heard many songs by Johnny Cash now that I think about it. I know a few songs very well, but I’ve certainly never heard any of his albums in full. We’ll today I can change that - let’s listen! Songs I already knew: Hurt Favourites: I Hung My Head, Streets Of Laredo I went into this album hoping for greatness because my sister adores Johnny Cash and has loads of his records. This album wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I will say I enjoyed it very much. The album is quite melancholic from front to back and is quite stripped back - this is mostly Johnny and his guitar with not much else in terms of instrumentation. The format of this really allows his voice to shine, and you can hear the pain behind his lyrics regardless of if it is an original or a cover. Overall, a very well put together album, and a delight to listen to.
Always good
This is an album I've been wanting to listen to. Just Johnny Cash in general but this one kicks off with the one two punch of The Man Comes Around and Hurt. TMCA I'm pretty sure was sampled on Behold a Pale Horse by Angels and Airwaves. Hurt is a cover, but still incredible. There are a lot of covers on this album but doesn't take away from his message throughout.
The Man in Black is Back. Johnny's famous album of covers, made in 2002! Cash passed away less than a year after this was released, and man, what a powerhouse album from such an acclaimed artist. Almost every track is a cover, including some really out-there picks like "Personal Jesus" and the crown jewel, "Hurt." No one would expect Cash to do a cover of NIN, let alone outshine the original. But Trent Reznor's right that the song is no longer his: Johnny Cash took it and made it something so much more powerful, meaningful. The music video is also incredible. The strength of that track alone, one of the finest things Cash has ever released, elevates this to at least 4/5 stars. The rest of it is fairly predictable covers, nothing crazy but they're done really well. Apparently there's a cover of "Big Iron" on the original release, but not the version I heard. I did really like the Spongebob-esque ukulele style of "We'll Meet Again." For a cover album, it's excellent. Favorite tracks: HURT, The Man Comes Around, We'll Meet Again, Personal Jesus, Bridge Over Troubled Water. Album art: For a last album he ever made, it's perfect. Strong, bold fond, disembodied head. No notes. 4.5/5
This was great. Will listen again.
The creaky voice and air of melancholy are just the thing this album needs. Sadly beautiful in its way.
Great songs. Good collection, but not really an album. Superb reinventions
Some of Johnny’s best work in years. All of the American Recording albums Cash did with Rick Rubin were fantastic and re-introduced the world to what Johnny Cash could do. Even with his voice shot of years on the road, he’s still able to deliver some of his most emotional vocal performances. He shouldn’t have tried Roberta Flack, though. 4/5
Incredible album that is very well put together. A couple of “why is this song here” moments and a couple of times where Johnny’s interpretation didn’t add much compared to the original but overall it’s fantastic. I’d rather it was a little bit shorter but it obviously deserves a place on this list. 4.5 stars
It couldn’t be more evident that Cash is singing his way out of this veil of tears here, which sometimes makes it all that more powerful (Hurt), but doesn’t always land (at its best I don't think his vocal style was ever right for Simon and Garfunkel, and doesn’t mesh with Apple’s accompaniment on Bridge Over Troubled Water). Nevertheless it’s a powerful swan song overall.
Rebirth of the CASH. How many times has Johnny Cash been brought low and Risen again? Enough to never count him out and yet, when this record hit I was in a place where I really had counted him out. This album was a Revelation at the time. I return to it from time to time. It'll give your shivers if you take the time to listen close.
Nice minimal renditions of good songs by the old master himself. Probably not the best of the American Recording series, but still worth listening to.
Love some old Johnny Cash
Soothing and calming Give my love to rose is charming yet heartbreaking Not my type of music but it was soothing to listen to and had interesting stories in the pov of a murderer! (I Hung My Head and Sam Hall)
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Hurt, Bridge over troubled water
Powerful
This sounds like the death throws of an artist, but not in a mournful manner. The choice of songs is superb, with some sounding even better than the originals. The First Time I ever Saw Your Face, I'm So Lonesome, and even Personal Jesus. The production places the vocals right at the centre of the mix, where they should be. Cash was taking risks right through until the end, rather than playing the cabaret Country circuit. Ditch Danny Boy (no such thing as a decent version of this) and you'd have a five star album.
This is a record I feel like I can't possibly separate my biases from. I've read "Johnny Cash: A Life" and the story behind this record is really interesting, and the music is great as well. Ruminations on life from a man not long for this world. Very powerful. If I could make one complaint, I don't think the guest vocalists were necessary. They're all solid vocalists, but would've probably been better just being Johnny's album. Favorite tracks: "Hurt", "In My Life", "We'll Meet Again"
Powerful album. A couple covers probably shouldn't have been covered, but overall a fantastic, raw, intimate Cash.
The last of Cash was some of the best. So weary, so sad, so desperately hopeful.
Getting into the late stage of his career, Johnny Cash has released American Recordings in 1994. This came about from the encouragement of famed producer Rick Rubin, who sought to revitalize Cash's career. This would be Cash's first true solo album, with no backing band. Additionally, Cash would do a mix of originals and cover songs, hence the name American Recordings. This would be Cash's tribute to his favorite songwriters: Leonard Cohen, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Waits. Cash and Rubin would return to studio for another album, Unchained, and release that in 1995. Similar to American Recordings, Unchained would be a mix of Cash originals and covers, though Cash would be accompanied by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Following Unchained, we would get American III: Solitary Man in 2000, thus formalizing the American series of albums which has been a remarkably successful up to this point. American III, however, would mark a point in Cash's career of troubling health problems. Now 68, Cash's voice had become weakened, weary, and tired. American IV: The Man Comes Around is the last Johnny Cash album released before his death in 2003. It is a potent piece of work. It is perhaps best remembered for Cash's cover of Hurt, originally written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. It is a cover so raw and simple that it lingers and stays with you even after it's over. This is also an occasional instance where the cover becomes better-known than the original, which becomes a fun little bit of music trivia to whip out at any given time when people start talking about Johnny Cash. Regardless, I feel this is a proven example of how excellent Cash is at performing these songs. By giving his own voice and tender acoustic accompaniment, Cash makes it practically an honor to have one's song covered in the American series. Other songs here include the classic ballad Danny Boy with pipe organ, a duet with Nick Cave on I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, and an excellent original that opens the album: The Man Comes Around. This is truly an excellent display of talent so long into Cash's career. There is something to be said about an artist's final work before their death. Before Leonard Cohen's "You Want It Darker" and David Bowie's "Blackstar", we had Johnny Cash's "American IV: The Man Comes Around". Though his whole career is worth remarking, these final albums will be his legacy. The final song, We'll Meet Again, is sung with his son John Carter Cash and Laura Cash (no relation). It is a uplifting bookend to Cash's career, and to his life. Perhaps there is an afterlife, and we'll get to thank him again for his music. Thank you, Mr. Cash.
beautiful, I cried :'(
I do love this record. Love the production on it, love the takes on these songs. Bridge Over Troubled Water is a little off, but I still love hearing these. Good stuff.
Already own this album in physical format, which indicates it once held enough appeal for me to shell out some bunce. It's pretty great, no? A lovely selection of songs, some of the best cuts from NIN, Depeche Mode, Simon and Garfunkel, Ewan MacColl (his best ever?) and more. 'The Man Comes Around' (the track) remains a late career triumph. Given that it's a Rick Rubin production it was never going to be a bells 'n' whistles sound universe; sometimes I think the minimal orchestration is super-effective, other times I feel it's ever so slightly lacking. Do we need another 'Danny Boy'? Still, Cash's voice is akin to an old jumper - a bit ragged but warm and familiar.
Good collection of tunes and his voice fits the arrangements perfectly. Not the shit-kicking prison-pumping Cash that I prefer overall, but impossible not to appreciate the intent and execution here. Not so sure about "Personal Jesus" and "Danny Boy," but whatevs. Ending with "We'll Meet Again," kinda makes up for the missteps on the way.
Great, but capped at 4 for me because it's mainly covers. Still, he made each his own.
Hurt ist eine absolute Bombe. Der Typ bringt Emotionen auf eine Weise rüber, die mich total abholt.
Una de les tornades més celebrades i la base sobre la qual es basarien molts més comebacks a partir d'aleshores, la majoria (Neil Diamond, Black Sabbath, Metallica....) també amb Rubin com a co-protagonista. En aquesta sèrie de discos un Cash despullat prioritza la seva veu sobre un cançoner lluny de la seva zona de comfort... i excel.leix com poques vegades abans a la seva carrera. Aquesta quart entrega és la millor de totes, amb un clàssic modern que dona títol, i amb dues versions amb vida pròpia: 'Personal Jesus' i, és clar, una 'Hurt' que fa tota seva
Very enjoyable listen. Very haunting and interesting takes on a few covers, including Desperado, We'll Meet Again and I Hung My Head, in addition to the obvious Hurt.
The "Hurt" cover still really gets me. A great example of Cash's later career. I was listening to Rick Rubin talk about how he approached these albums with Cash, and he talked about how Johnny Cash is a very funny and lighthearted in person, but they were trying to get back to the myth of the mysterious "man in black" because that's what people really responded to in the past. Seems like they did it.
Pretty much the perfect way to reinvent yourself towards the end of your career. Put your faith in a visionary producer, open yourself up to unexpected material, strip it down to basics, reinvent said material (including your own) with the sheer weight of your life which is reflected in your voice. Johnny Cash was both incredibly open minded and supremely humble to be able to put his faith in Rick Rubin. Likewise, Rick Rubin had absolute reverence for Johnny Cash and knew just how to focus on his strengths without overdoing anything. Perhaps the oddest pairing of producer and performer I can think of, but man they made one of the best parting gifts to music of all time.
67th album he's done according to Wikipedia. Wow. This is a tough one, with titles like The Man Comes Around and Hurt those songs are 5s, some of the other songs are 4s for me. But you can definitely tell he's done, he's ready to go. Fiona's backup vocals were nice as well. In some ways I can only give it a 4 since most of the good songs are actually covers.
This is probably the first album I (and a number of other people, I'm sure) had gotten of Cash's material. I then went back and picked up a number of the American Recordings and a lot of this other stuff. Although this is a great recording and I like it a lot, I can't give it 5 stars. In my mind, a 5-star recording is a classic album, a truly great album. All the songs have to be at least likeable. There is at least one song on this album that is really really unlistenable. "Sam Hall" is debatable. It's mediocre at best. It makes me think of "A Boy Named Sue, " but not as witty. A lot of the other covers are really effective: "I Hung My Head," "Personal Jesus," "Hurt..." Man, he just owns "Hurt," doesn't he? "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is okay, I guess. I don't think there's anything he really adds to the song's original gravitas. Then... there's "Desperado." I mean, the original song is not a real toe-tapper to begin with. But... MAN. That version is SO depressing and somber I am almost ready to KILL myself every time it comes on. Cash sings that first line and zip, I have to skip that track. WAY, WAY too somber and morose. So yeah, the one song is just so depressing it makes the album miss its mark. Sorry, Johnny.
Highlights: Hurt (ofc), Personal Jesus (weirdly), We'll Meet Again
If this is what death sounds like then there’s no need to be afraid.
Incredible
Heartfelt with good and engaging vocals and simplistic yet at times intriguing instrumentals
Johnny Cash is the only old man's country voice that I'll listen to.
Really enjoyed this. I'm a Johnny cash fan anyway but I liked his take on these songs. Hung my head and streets of loredo were my favourites
What a great listen
This album is ridiculously good. Cash's version of Hurt and Hung My Head are definitive. 5/5
I love covers and already know a few songs from this album 1. The man comes around - reminds me of a bright eyes song 2. Hurt - great song and I remember this music video 3. Give my love to Rose - sweet classic country sound 4. Bridge under troubled water - i just love a good cover; the swells are nice 5. I hung my head - I love this one and didn’t realize it was a classic till now 6. First time ever I saw your face - a little sappy and slow 7. Personal Jesus - also didn’t realize this was a cover till recently 8. In my life - never heard this before but love the original and this version 9. Sam Hall - I like the funny songs they remind me of camp 10. Danny boy - it’s fine but i think better original 11. Desperado - a classic 12. I’m so lonesome I could cry - not my fave version 13. Tear stained letter - boppy I like the piano 14. Streets of Laredo - fine nothing special to me 15. We’ll meet again - a nice one to end on
Some really good covers here
When I took guitar lessons as a 9 year old, the song Streets of Laredo was in the songbook. I should probably mention that to my therapist. I can't say Give My Love to Rose is his best jailbird song since it doesn't have lyrics about shooting a man in Reno, but it’s a beauty. Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of the songs that defines Art Garfunkles' prowess singing. Paul Simon tries to sing it when he tours solo but the song sounds terrible. I love how Johnny and his barely existing vocal range sounds so darn good. Fiona Apple, who could nail these vocals, adds lovely accompanying vocals. The First Time I Ever Saw You is a song that I always hated. Johnny takes the weenie out of the Roberta Flack version. Personal Jesus and In My Life are excellent. I could keep going on about the other covers on this album. Until the mid sixties it was common to make albums full of songs that others wrote but once 1970 came around this was no longer fashionable. Johnny may be the only one who could pull this off in 2000. RIP Mr. Cash
As far as his more modern recordings go, this one is pretty good. I know this was one of his last albums released during his lifetime, but he still has the energy, spirit and that "voice", the quintessential performer until the end. This is what sets Cash apart from everyone else in the genre. Respect!
I hurt myself today
the songs on III are better and Hurt is way over-played, but this is still pretty awesome
More soulful than earlier albums but not his best
Great album, but lots of covers
One of my favorite albums growing up. As well as one of my first CDs. Love what Rick Ruban did with this. Opened the door to me becoming a huge JC fan.
Full of raw emotion, and also knowing this was the last album recorded by the man in black, male this his greatest work in my opinion. An iconic voice not only covering other artists songs, but reinventing them and making them his own
This is probably the closest I’ve come to giving a five but I really want a five to be close to perfect and there are few moments where the album doesn’t quite work. But my god, this album is still incredible, it contains some of the best covers ever recorded. It is the perfect end to Johnny Cash’s career and a perfect companion to learning about the final years and months of his life.
Powerful. But it's still elder abuse.
Had this CD when I was younger, good covers
A really strong release. He really makes the covers his own.
4.5/5
The 4th album of Johnny Cash's American Recording Series, and the last one published during his lifetime, this record contains mainly sparsely arranged covers, most of which are just acoustic guitar and Cash's unmistakable gravelly voice that is second only to Leonard Cohen's. This affords Cash much room for singing, and he delivers. The album contains - for me - the definitive versions of Hurt and especially Desperado, because he sings them with an absolute authentic, heartbreaking sincerity. Sadly not every song is on that level, some lyrics are quite weak (eg. Sam Hall), and the theme of the condemned man is present in too many songs with too little thematic variation. But that shouldn't distract from how great this album is. 4/5
There's been a few times on this list when I encountered an album made at the end of an artist's life that serves as a kind of goodbye message to the people who loved their music. This album is a bit strange among those, since it's largely a cover album, but god damn what an exit. He did definitive versions of some of these songs, especially Hurt. Not every song on this album is amazing like that, but they're all good. His voice held up to the very end, and for that we can be grateful 4/5
This is great - a solid 4 which is impressive given that so many of the songs are covers. Will very happily listen to it again, a great bunch of songs although it plays more like a collection of hits than it does an album. The opening track definitely my favourite, but it's a great opening 3 songs in particular.
I thought this was a complication but wiki tells me it's a cover album, its incredible and the cover of hurt is both haunting and beautiful
Wow. I am kinda stunned. I believe there are only three songs on this album that Cash wrote, while the rest are covers. How can someone perform others' work in such a beautiful way and create a presence like Cash does? You can feel in his voice that he's tired and weary, and that the end is nigh, but that doesn't keep him from delivering a performance for the ages. I've always liked Johnny Cash, but never got into him. I think it's time.
I loved this. I prefer the older Johnny Cash stuff because I think his voice is more refined and the songs are more accessible
"The Man Comes Around" presents like the opening to a play, pretty simplistic in the instrumental and vocals but there's a story being told here. The narrative is made engaging by the music but it tips the ear towards the story to come. "Hurt" actually reminds me of White Rabbit quite a bit, the song is entirely a crescendo right to the end. What is particularly engaging is the build up of the story. These songs are stories just as much as music. Overall, Johnny Cash is solid. Makes me feel like i need a Horse, Ranch and sad love story
I can see why this was added. A fairy spare recording of Johnny & guitar plus the occasional backup voice(s) & instrumentation. Feels very classic Johnny Cash & some nice interpretations of songs - I particularly liked Give My Love to Rose and Personal Jesus.
Right on the money
Although one of his last recordings, this is a great entry point to people new to Cash. A man in the twilight of his life producing a collection of covers that are super emotionally resonant. I don’t have much respect in general for covers, but these somehow have an aura of artistic integrity belying the fact that he’s just singing someone else’s work
Incredible reworkings of classic songs which Cash makes his own with his inimitable voice, now aged and fragile, which adds an emotive sense of wisdom and gravitas. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Hurt Date listened: 11/07/22
Classic. Just shows what interpretation can deliver
Touchant Prefs: The Man Comes Around, Hurt, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Personal Jesus, In My Life, Sam Hall, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Tear Stained Letter, Streets of Laredo Moins pref: Danny Boy
A brilliant cover and end of the career album. Hurt is one of those covers that blows the original out the water Cash makes it his song. When the man comes around is also a brilliant song. Such a raw album deserves to be on the list.
Truly, an album you have to listen before you die! The lyrics, the guitar, his voice, all perfectly combined in this piece of art.
Country for people who don't like country, and everything that needs to be said about the Hurt cover has already been said. Astonishing song.
Such a special record. Cash's world weary voice is ideal for this selection. What an epitaph for the master
God Bless Johnny Cash!
Masterful, and so late in life. "Hurt" is haunting.
really enjoyed this one, Hurt gets a hell of a lot of press but there's some great covers on here
Genre: Americana 4/5 In one of the biggest surprises so far throughout this exercise, American IV is a true triumph for Johnny Cash. A man known for pioneering Outlaw Country, the kind of music men sing to pass the times while locked away (Folsom Prison Blues, Orleans Parish Prison, etc.), pares it back to his roots. Those old country folk tunes he's sung for years, as well as some incredible renditions of a few non-country folk tunes, are given new life in the shape of a 70-year old crooner fighting to keep his career afloat. Rick Rubin produces one of the most heart-wrenching records I've listened to in quite some time. The recording sessions that birthed this album also birthed what may be one of the best covers of all time, Cash's rendition of Trent Reznor's Hurt. His voice writhes with age, but his emotions are felt with every passing lyric. A man who has lost a lot in his life, singing a song about losing it all and fighting to rebuild from the "empire of dirt" before him. Breathtaking. But that song isn't the only tearjerker in the setlist, as Cash's renditions of In My Life (Beatles classic) and Danny Boy are given the same tragic context as Hurt, a man reaching the end, pining for those he's lost and searching for life's purpose, and examining his own mortality. There were some songs on this that didn't reach the mark emotionally or thematically (Sam Hall, Streets of Laredo), and sound as though Johnny and Rick were just having fun with it, but considering Cash died very shortly after this was released, it was probably something he desparetely needed. I really enjoyed this album, and I hope those with close-knit families and those with a little bit of heart enjoy this too.
A real mixed bag. When The Man in Black picks the right tunes he's untouchable, however, some of the standards on here are a little cloying - even in the stripped back state. Best Tracks: When The Man Comes Around; Hurt; I Hung My Head
Mostly covers which surprised me, but they are all executed so well. Johnny Cash has a way of making songs his own whether he intends to or not, such powerful styles of singing and lyrical delivery. The guest appearances were mostly unnecessary in my opinion, however the Fiona Apple vocals on "Bridge Over Troubled Water" were fantastic. Johnny Cash still knows what the people want to hear after having a whole life behind him. Fave tracks: Hurt, Bridge Over Troubled Water, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
I actually really enjoyed this - more than I thought I would at first. The song selections and sparse arrangements are great, thought some of them work better than others (Personal Jesus was a bit of and odd choice for his style imo). I was not aware of this series of albums by Cash, but I think this is a great idea. After a long and fruitful career, why not kick back and just play music for the fun of it, recording versions of songs you like with your signature twist.
Glad to get a non-live Johnny Cash album this time! It starts off fantastically with two songs I'd already had marked as favorites on Spotify. Unfortunately, those were the highlights of the album and it doesn't continue at that level of quality. It's still very enjoyable though. Cash's voice is iconic and the selection of covers is great, although I don't think all of them are executed equally well. As a whole, a good album. But I can't quite justify 5 stars.
It probably shouldn't work but it does...a Johnny Cash on death's door covers some unlikely songs with immense gravitas. Hurt and Personal Jesus are both epic in their way. All praise Rick Rubin.
I've heard Hurt before, of course, but not in context. And apparently I hadn't really listened to the peaking at the end, that twin to the overwhelming depth of the opening track of American IV. The production is simply disorienting, maximizing the complexity of the voice and few instruments. The arrangements get fuller as we proceed, but Cash's voice is dead center. I figure one's response to it mirrors one's opinion of the album. I am a fan of the Man in Black, and enjoyed a rock-solid hour of music.
"American IV: The Man Comes Around" is a beautiful album, especially with the rendition of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt", but not only that. The duet with Nick Cave in "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and the one with Fiona Apple for "Bridge Over Troubled Water" are very well produced and very delicate. "The Man Comes Around", the only new Cash composition on the album, opens and sumirises what the album will be, a great folk country record.
One of the most iconic voices of all time singing some of the best songs ever written less than a year before his death is grade A emotional manipulation, but goddamn if it doesn’t work
maybe 4.5/5
Solid. Personal Jesus and In My Life were the best ones for me. I don't think I'd listen to this kind of album over and over again. But it's Johnny Cash giving you his one-of-a-kind voice on a lot of great songs, I respect that.
Quite a moving, reflective set of covers sung by Johnny Cash's in his distinctive voice. He was an old man with not much time left when the record was made and this is apparent in the choice of material. It's stark but never depressing. Cash never has the greatest voice even in his prime but his personality, charm and delivery win the day. One observation, Cash always had quite an old sounding voice, so he doesn't actually sound much different from his 60's heyday. Minor quibble about the mastering, which sounds way over compressed, a common complaint from early 2000's recordings.
Jonny creates a dark brooding soundscape and makes his own a disparate set of covers. Somehow he brings them all into this one vision, tails off at the end but the pared back RICK Ruben sounds is great
Moving, reflective stuff from a man who lived a hell of a life
4.25
Stripped back covers recorded shortly before Cash's death. Many good choices, some very emotive (Hurt, In My Life), inspired (Personal Jesus) and Bittersweet (We'll Meet Again). His voice was still on point even if he could no longer play.
One of my favorites from cash. Beautiful album
Can't go wrong with johnny
Some really good tracks on here, particularly Hurt. I love the original and this cover is just as good. Some lame duffers later on, but pretty good overall.
Oooooh a big bag of milk leaking on my face. My needle dick jabbing her minge. Heaven.
-"Hurt" is obviously the popular ones and quite emotional. The change in perspective on the lyrics from Trent Reznor's heroin addiction to Johnny Cash's old age is very interesting. -I actually quite like "I Hung My Head" and "Tear Stained Letter" -Some of the songs get really sparse and slow for me, especially in the back half -Pretty good overall
All of these songs are so sad but good
A modern Cash classic. Fully of gritty guitar and vocals. Quite something. Top tracks: Personal Jesus, Hurt
Frábær plata. Ótrúleg dýpt í túlkun gamla mannsins.
Hurt is a 6 out of 5 and another 4/5 tracks (Personal Jesus, I Hung My Head) are fives, but there's some stuff that doesn't work, like Bridge Over Troubled Water and In My Life, and even Cash can't make Danny Boy seem essential again. So a four.
Mycket nostalgi för ett par låtar, vänder inte upp och ner på världen men jag gillar det starkt
4, close to 4.5, but not quite
So much sorrow. Glad I listened to it, but these covers are so sad. His voice just oozes calamity, redemption, sadness. Simplicity at its best. Best cover: Hurt
I think it's a bop man. By bop I mean it feels like my fucking soul is being syphoned out of me slowly. I have listened to a lot of Cash. And like, hearing him so fucking old is kind of hard to listen to. Also it's fucking rad he covered Personal Jesus. Fucking neat that one. Much prefer his cover of im so lonesome I could cry. Anyway I fuck with this album, I don't exactly think it's a 5 out of 5. But it's def solid as fuck.
Some fantastic songs on this album. Hurt is definitely one of those songs that was done much better as a cover (by cash) than the original. Not quite as uptempo as his earlier music but still great
This is a really great album. I have heard a couple of the songs before the rest were 'new' for me. There are a lot of cover versions on the album mixed with a couple of Johnny Cash originals. His cover versions are amazing - especially Hurt. Standouts: Hurt, I Hung My Head, In My Life, The Man Comes Around, Danny Boy, Desperado, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. 4/5
Probably would be upped to a 5 if I had a nice glass of whiskey with me as I listened. Really great stuff.
Desse álbum, eu apenas conhecia a "Hurt", já que é um dos clássicos do Cash. Além dela, gostei muito de "I Hung My Head" e o cover maravilhoso de "Personal Jesus" do Depeche Mode. Na verdade, esse não é o único cover do álbum, tem também o "In My Life" dos Beatles, "We'll Meet Again" do Ink Spots e pesquisando, descobri que mesmo "Hurt" é um cover e o último sucesso do artista. Para referência, fica aqui esse link: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/johnny-cashs-11-coolest-cover-songs-162155/hurt-nine-inch-nails-167363/
The Man in Black - Johnny Cash walked tall & lived & performed on his own terms. I preferred Elvis covering "Bridge Over Troubled Water", but again, Cash does it in a style that was true to himself. A good album with an unusual variety of songs.
Lots of good renditions here. I really like the sound of Johnny's voice in this record. While it's nice to sometimes make a cover sound true to the original, I like that authentic feel of switching it up every now and then.
Aside from "Hurt", obviously, the stand out tracks are Cash's own compositions or where it is just him and a guitar. A couple of the covers miss the mark ("Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Danny Boy", "We'll Meet Again" once it broke into a singalong). Some are wrecked; either by an infernal pianist noodling in the background ("Personal Jesus"), or by some awful co-vocalists - Fiona Apple and Don Henley I am looking at you. Overall, though a really enjoyable listen; I just wish they'd have cut out the unnecessary collaborators.
Whether it's the last works of a legend looking back over a long life, or someone let grandad do the karaoke, this is better than it should be. Hillariously some unwelcome duets and bizarre choices of arrangement manages to shoot themselves in the foot. A potential five star album given away.
Of all the guest stars, I think I was most surprised to hear Mrs Mills on piano
Prachtig album, kon dit meer verwachten als gedacht
It was a good listen
I first heard portions of American IV: The Man Comes Around shortly after the album came out. I was beginning to dig into some of Johnny Cash's work, and learning to play a couple classic songs. I like this album, and it was a great discovery for me. I reference songs from this album in at least two other reviews on this 1001 album list. I remember seeing Cash on the TV frequently growing up, and it was great to hear what he was doing so late in his career. It was still a year or two before the biographical movie about Cash came out, so there was plenty of room to explore on my own. This album seemed like a reward for exploring his older catalog. Favorite tracks inlcude: "The Man Comes Around", "Hurt" and "Tear Stained Letter". The track I enjoy the least is "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". I'll blame that on Nick Cave, 100%. There are covers on this album that I don't like as much as the originals, but there are covers that I DEFINITELY like more than the originals too. I'll probably listen to all of this album again.
I'm so sad
4/5 it won me over!
great listen, and covers. Was surprised how much i enjoyed this album.
Despite the album having lots of covers, this one deserves a 4 since Cash really put his own personal stamp on each of them
Although it's an album of covers, there is something so very poignant about it. Thrilling, exhilarating and at times quite depressing.
Gran recopilación de canciones para un estilo muy personal con una gran voz. Inconfundible estilo.
dobar album, par odličnih pjesama
CASH. MONEY.
Love almost every song.
Some of the best covers ever made, but don't overlook the originals. What a legend. Best track: Hurt
Some good, recognizable covers. Cash has a great voice. I don't know. Not much to say, other than I enjoyed it a lot. Like that he puts his own spin on the songs
Like this album, not the cheeriest but I like it
Oude lul geworden
The new takes on old tunes by an old man near death sometimes work, but not often. Sometimes sounds forced and unnecessary in many cases. Can't help but compare to Leonard Cohen's final album You Want it Darker. Cohen's is much more powerful performing his own new music.
Some good old American music. Probably liked this more than I expected. I liked the Lucy gray sounding song and it was fun hearing the original version of hurt. Probably close to a 4 but realistically a 3
As RYM dark, gloomy, sad, but yet still has uplifting chords uts a big contrast, Johnny Cash man its okay I smoked a doob w oscar for his birthday today :)
Meh
6/10 Esta bueno, medio raro por momentos pero sin ser malo
5/10
In a way Johnny's voice isn't fantastic in and of itself but is very comforting to listen to. Feels like a grandfather sharing a story or something. Can't say this is one I would listen to on repeat, but It wasn't too bad and I enjoyed the selection of covers as well.
This was a good album but it definitely wasn’t great. I can see how people really love this album I am just not the hugest fan of Cash’s Music. However there were 2 very amazing songs in Hurt and I Hung My Head. The best part of the album is the emotion he displays in the songs. He really makes the listener feel the story he is telling which is always so fun to listen to. I think the lows outweigh the highs unfortunately. Sam Hall was a terrible song I have no clue what the vision was there. There was also just an inconsistency with the tracks that was hard to overlook.
Good.
ok
I really enjoyed this one, but some remakes were hard to listen to.
Legend Johnny Cash's voice was getting a little bit shaky but I'm glad that he did this series of albums before he passed away. Overall this volume was an enjoyable listen but I didn't care much for about half of the songs. I get that they were pushing the envelope with their song selections but the effort was met with mixed success. Many of the songs sounded like trying to put a square peg into a round hole. This would have been better as a single album with some of the chaff having been removed. (For me: Bridge Over Troubled Water, The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face, In My Life, Danny Boy, Desperado, We'll Meet Again.)
This album is a mixed bag for me. The Cash originals and lesser known covers are the strength of the album. The Man Comes Around is an amazing start to the album, and Give My Love to Rose and I Hung My Head are excellent also. The more famous covers are either mediocre (Hurt, Bridge Over Troubled Water, In My Life) or bad (Desperado and especially Personal Jesus). A shorter, tighter collection would have been more effective. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall not bad but not the best, I don't think I will get hung up on any song. It has some covers I wasn't not expeting like beatles cover (but beatles original is better.
I get it. Sad music for sad men. Probably not the best track to listen to the day I found out my old dog is being put down Highlights: "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," "Personal Jesus," "Hurt"
I know I’m supposed to love this. I love some Johnny Cash and I love song of the originals covered here. But I find myself getting bored listening to this. I would feel pretentious giving this more than 3 stars.
Pretty good, the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel covers were cool. Super slow stuff like this isn't my favorite though
Album #114, American IV: The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash ⭐⭐⭐ I love the concept behind the American Recordings series. The idea of taking this aging musical legend and putting him back into the studio for one final creative burst, while playing to his strengths and giving him these unusual, unexpected covers, is just brilliant to me. When I think about these albums, I always end up thinking about other artists I wish had been given a similar late-career reinvention. Johnny Cash really got an enviable ending to his career. You could argue that this late period became the defining music of his life in many ways. That being said, I think I’m more of a fan of these records in principle than in practice. It feels almost cruel and crass criticising an elderly Johnny Cash’s singing, but it is honestly the part I struggle with most. Obviously he’s a legend, but his voice here can feel very monotonous to me, and these albums are long enough that I sometimes find it difficult to move past that. This is also an album that’s as serious as a suicide note. It’s morose, spiritual, heavy with themes of death and faith and regret. That absolutely suits the material, but at times it can drift into outright dreariness. The positives are that Rick Rubin chooses fantastic covers, and often really unexpected ones. Hurt is obviously iconic at this point and completely deserves its reputation, while Personal Jesus is also brilliant. The collaborations are great too. Fiona Apple appears at one point, and every time Nick Cave shows up on I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry it catches me off guard because his voice is so unmistakable. Then I remember Johnny Cash recorded The Mercy Seat, and suddenly that collaboration makes complete sense. Funnily enough, despite all the famous covers, my favourite moments on the album were actually the Johnny Cash originals. Give My Love to Rose and especially Tear Stained Letter. Tear Stained Letter in particular gives the album a rare moment of energy and movement, and honestly I kind of wished there was more of that throughout, despite it being at odds with most of the material. I think this is one of those albums where your mood massively affects how much you connect with it. Usually this kind of dark, reflective music is exactly my thing, but today maybe I just wasn’t in the right headspace for it. So it’s a three star from me today. Sorry to any Johnny Cash diehards.
Great album, live Johnny Cash voice and hurt it’s a classic
3/5 cash covers
howd he get away with making ts in 2002
Some of the very best of the American Recordings stuff is on here, but as with most of the others in the series it’s a bit scattergun and some of it is pretty poor. They could easily have cut it and made it much better in the process.
A mixed bag of a (mostly) cover album. Cash approaches these covers with a sparse and melancholic sound, mostly guitar and piano with the odd other instrument where appropriate. When it works, such as his cover of Hurt (which is one of the best covers in pop history) and Bridge Over Troubled Water, it works really well. A lot of these songs though just feel like Johnny Cash covering a song. He isn't really adding anything, which is an issue when these covers are so stripped back. The original character is gone and there isn't much to replace it. Overall, it's fine, but I am unlikely to return to most of it.
Неплохо, но скучно
It’s good but just slightly boring if I’m honest. Easy to listen to
Johnny Cash's voice is shockingly limited on here for someone who was only 70! The best songs, like "The Man Comes Around" or "Give My Love to Rose", manage to work with his limitations to arrive at something that's better than it would have been with a younger Cash, but for most of these songs, he's just a shadow of his former self. The cover of "Hurt" gets all the attention these days, but honestly I've never cared for that song in any form? When it comes to aged Cash singing non-country songs, give me "Personal Jesus" any day! At least that one's got a pretty strong guitar hook to it.
I really liked this album. Feels like walking around a city on a dreary day. Added some of the songs to #001 for getting into the feels. It was a little bit samey so I will rate it an 7/10 (1 being Taylor swift, 10 being Pulp and My Chem level)
I have mixed feelings about this: the late grave bound and gravel voiced Cash blasting each of these songs with mortality's gravitas. Some of them are great--Man Comes Around for one--but a bunch are lame (sorry, but I think that NIN song sucks). And is it a gimmick? I mean this is the FOURTH one of these.
Muy pelicula que protagonizaría Hugh Jackman... Buen instrumental pero siento que es muy gringo para mí... Es un album de gringo pa gringo
Bare bones arrangements to lift the core of the songs. Vocals not vintage Cash but mostly works.
Nice, chill, sad.
Каждый кавер кратно хуже оригинала
хорошо, приятно, но опять же - не зацепил сильно, 3.5
I've liked a few songs off this album for a while, but it's not always something I want to listen to.
A solid collection of covers. I enjoy hearing his spin on songs, especially tracks from different genres like Hurt and Plastic Jesus. I'll probably give this one another spin sometime soon.
This was a great comeback album for The Man In Black. A lot of fun covers. It seems like his voice is really forefront on this production.
The Cash cover album. It's okay. Some of the songs are a bit odd. Unpopular opinion that Hurt was better done by NIN, but Cash's cover is still good. Fun cover of Personal Jesus. Odd covers of In My Life and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Mixed bag really, and both the live albums on this list are better Cash records IMO.
Música de negros, para negros, que se ha vuelto increíblemente comercial y gracias a eso, tenemos maravillas como esta, a pesar que la mayor parte del tiempo me sentía confundido de escuchar lo que estaba escuchando, se siente blues en cada nota, no es algo hecho al azar, gran disco.
[NEVER LISTENED BEFORE]
Some of the songs are 5/5 and Johnny's sings with such great emotion. Some song selections on this record are bit weird and in my opinion doesn't quite suite Mr Cash's style.
#392 / 1089 Heard before? ✅ Revisit? ✅ In early 2000's I'd found outlaw country, which I liked in a very conservative fashion, and when Rick Rubin started to work with Mr. Cash I was excited. For me Cash had done some of the best country styled music that I could actually stomach, so I had no reservations regarding this collaboration. I've then realized that I had a very limited exposure to his catalogue, thus skewing my idea what outlaw country actually is. So some of the tracks to eventually come out on this album were a bit too traditional for my taste, which was quite a let down. I still don't do country well, especially the traditional crap makes me very cross and I have to skip or stop immediately (previous 1001 album was Loretta Lynn's from 1967). Strong 3, leaning to 4/5
Great return to form album from Mr Cash
Yo ni cash
I remember when this album was released. All the 'cool kids' thought they were making some kind of statement in declaring their love for the music of Cash, despite having no previous knowledge of him. I wasn't fooled by an album consisting of a dirge of covers, fed by a mainstream media love-in. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ in part Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (5/10) Total reviewed : 316 Already owned : 70 Purchased : 15 To buy : 4 Nope : 227
Chill
Álbum potente. Una voz que conmueve.
Definitely the best of his work I’ve heard. Not a big country fan, but JC is hard to classify as just country.
Always felt a little conflicted about Johnny Cash. This one is fine. It's cover songs and most of them are good, some of them don't quite hit. It comes off as a little too trite. The aging rock star at the end looking back on all of his misdeeds and begging with an audience to be remembered and forgiven.
I never really "got" Johnny Cash - the music was fine, but rather plain for my taste. but it was always more about the attitude than the music, and he had attitude in spades. This reminds me a bit of Willie Nelson's "Stardust" - an aging veteran covering a lot of old classics - but without the nostalgia bump that I got from Willie's album. I respect Cash for his history and his career, but that doesn't make this an album I especially want to listen to.
Aburrido y muy americano
Good
CUTE pero no se si lo escucharia mas
RATING: 7.5/10 HIGHLIGHT: I Hung My Head LOWLIGHT: I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
Not my jam.
not my vibe, but incredible lyrics
A legend till the end.
I was super excited for this. I know the Hurt cover and the cover of Rowboat by Beck of his from a few albums prior. But I was not as wowed as I thought I would be. I loved the I’m So Lonesome cover, but the rest was just okay. Maybe I need to try again.
it's a cover album
Hurt is a classic and Personal Jesus is fun, but country is the nothingburger of music
In the early 1990s, Johnny Cash, who was experiencing the decline of his career, was approached by Rick Rubin, the producer of many rap and rock artists of the era, to collaborate. Cash accepted, and the American series brought him back into the charts and into the public eye. The fourth album in this series was the artist's last, and, as with Bowie's Blackstar, it's palpable: Johnny understands that the breath of death is drawing nearer, and all the songs here feel like flipping through an old photo album from the vantage point of his years. Most of them are covers, some of Cash's old songs, others of other artists' works, but none of them are blindly re-played acoustically, but rather stripped of unnecessary bells and whistles for an elderly man and seasoned with his wisdom (this version of "Hurt" many still consider original). The artist left behind enough songs to fill five more albums, but no one will ever say his signature "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" again.
An album of covers is all wrong. But he had earned the right to do what we wanted and some of it is done well. The realisation of mortality comes thorough hard. Fairly good all told.
A few good covers, but overall feels like an album of B Sides
I have never been a fan of Johnny Cash and even though this is an album of covers I quite enjoyed it, he had a unique way to connect to the listener.
Haunting swan song. If I ever kill myself, it’ll be to this album.
It's a mixed blessing, some superb material that shows his talent but then some tracks that should have stayed in the studio.
I was very excited for this, as I have never listened to these four albums. I know I have said before, that I feel cover albums should not be on this list, but this is Johnny Cash! The album starts off great, but then I feel it just runs a bit long. I feel like if it were just a few cover songs mixed in with some original music, I would have enjoyed this so much more.
This would go so hard if I was driving a truck through Texas after divorcing my wife. But I'm not, so it doesn't.
I expected it to be less talk-y and more sing-y than it was, but in hindsight, I guess it makes sense for the time in his life when it was recorded.
I prefer Johnny Cash singing Johnny Cash but this is still pretty good
Giving this a three, which is a decent album I should’ve given live at San Quentin 4 Stars
You wouldn't expect it, would you? An album full of covers on this list. But still, there is something about it.
cool
As a lifelong NIN fan I've always heard that Johnny Cash's version of 'Hurt' is better than the original. Johnny brings a beautiful haunting emotion to it that I love, but for me you canny beat the original. Anyway! Nice album, slow and steady with Johnny still providing warmth and emotion through his voice.
枯れ切ったおじいちゃんの弾き語り
Son dernier album sorti en 2002, son 76ème. On sent beaucoup de tristesse, peut-être d'amertume de regrets dans sa voix. Peut-être savait-il qu'il était malade et qu'il ne ferait plus d'autre album. Ce sont essentiellement des reprises. Bien que ce ne soit pas un album joyeux, c'en est un d'émotions que j'ai relativement bien aimé alors que je suis pas le plus grand fan au monde de lui en général.
Not my favourite of his late period albums, but still good to hear again.
This was pretty interesting... Certainly some certified bangers here, but there's also "some real stinkers", as my grandpa would have said. Looking at the track list, I feel like the second half of the record is where it really falls apart. "We'll Meet Again" feels like a very 'not on brand' final song for Johnny Cash to publish during his life. The message is fitting, but nothing about it feels like a Johnny Cash song and that's a shame. I respect Johnny, but I'm going to struggle with my rating on this one.
Some good covers but nothing that makes me prefer them over the originals
Not really my jam, but I can see the appeal. Johnny Cash is obviously talented, and "outlaw country" is the only style I can tolerate in the country genre - especially when it's as dark and bleak as this. It's very lyrics-oriented, to the point that the songs often turn into pure narration, forgetting that they're supposed to be music. But since the lyrics are pretty good, I don't mind that much ; I just wish the instrumentals would pack more punch. Some of the covers are interesting (like Hurt, or even the very surprising Personal Jesus), while others are just average. My biggest gripe, however, is the voice. To be honest, Johnny Cash really does sound like an old man here, and it somewhat reduces the impact of what could otherwise have been great songs. An album I half-enjoyed, but that gets stale and repetitive after a while ; I couldn't finish it in one sitting. Probably won't play again, but I can respect it. 5/10
The Willie Nelson from the day before helps this one sound even better. The covers here work better for me, even the NIN one. Cash sounds really worn here. Back in 2002, this album helped me see past the cliché image I had of him. I like it and still come back to it sometimes, but I get tired of it pretty fast.
It made feel a little bit sad, i think i am not a fan of his voice pitch in this album, but the lyrics are great.
This was a good first entry point into Johnny Cash's work
most of them are not my cup of tea. i liked the songs that i already liked the original versions of but i definitely prefer the originals.
Never been crazy about Johnny Cash, but this mostly-covers album is quite good. Some of the covers, I'd still prefer the original, but it puts Johnny in a mode that I liked more than normal. I liked The Man Comes Around, Hung My Head, Personal Jesus, Streets of Laredo. The back half didn't do it quite so much for me, but still I enjoyed this. 3.25/5
Lots of covers, some great, some less so. Cash's voice is incredible as always. Favorite songs: The Man Comes Around ; Hurt ; Personal Jesus
Sinceramente un poco apagado, no tan mal por el mensaje de la música. Como reflexiones
Felt like he was talking while the background changes. Really a big fan of hurt though
118. not bad
Dubious song choices. But maybe anything Cash sings is American
I'm not really into that kind of music but it was a very refreshing listen. Johnny Cash has a beautiful voice which made it a really calm and enjoyable listen
I'm a little betwixt and between on this one. There are some songs where JC adds real weight and gravitas, and they're superb. Surprisingly, I'd include his cover of In My Life in this, as well as Hurt, which is brilliant. But quite a lot of the covers, you really have to question whether even he is enjoying them. I don't want to have to hear Desperado, Danny Boy or Personal Jesus done like this (or in the case of Desperado, done like anything). Also, why, for the second time in a week, am I listening to a cover of We'll Meet Again?
3+ Stars (9/15)
Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around * The whole covers things is kinda weird. * I like the Depeche Mode version of Personal Jesus better. * Lowkey i feel like he's just saying things. * By Song: -^^--^...-^^---
With each song it felt as though he knew is death was only closer.
Sad beautiful cool as hell When the man comes around might be my fave Johnny cash song Some of the covers could take or leave though
252/1089 look, definitely not my vibe generally, however, there is something about listening to country classics especially when they’re sung by such a rich voice don’t love his version of First Time Ever… Personal Jesus however?? really like that The rest was decent and made for really nice listening, We’ll Meet Again was a lovely send off faves: personal jesus, i hung my head, we’ll meet again 62/100
A favor
Pas mal, average
Eh .. I'm not sure he really added any value to these covers, apart from Hurt.
Voice of an angel.
Goes a bit long, but I'll revisit at least a few of these songs again.
The final album of Johnny Cash's career feels that way. It's a similar quality I noticed in David Bowie's Black Star; an artists, knowing the end is near, writing their own elegy. Thematically, American IV is about 'the end', paying debts, death, etc. Some songs are happy, some are foreboding. Most of the songs are covers, which I found a little disappointing. Cash's voice shows age. It's hard not to be at least a little moved by this final artifact left by an elder-statesman and artist who had always been around, that is, until they couldn't be around any longer.
It is at once rather amazing and awfully mawkish. Full of contradictions, like the man himself I suppose. Contains some bona fide five star moments, and also some middleweight dreck. Cash's voice at times unbelievably doleful but mixed in with plenty of offputtingly cloying sentimentality.
Love Johnny Cash but it’s tough when legends put out music 30 years past their prime
I HUUURRT MYYSEEELFFFF TOODAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3/5 Algumas ótimas interpretações (Hurt, Desperado), outras que não casam com o estilo e voz de Cash.
3/5 https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/johnny-cash/american-iv-the-man-comes-around/ Honestly, more nice songs than I imagined when I saw I had to listen to another Cash record. But also, didn’t care for many other songs. None of the covers are better than the originals—at least as far as I know the originals—but I do like the heavy-handedness of the whole album.
Is this an action movie?
It's a mixed bag.
Listening to this album it was good but not great, but a few songs were great. But I’ve probably heard Hurt too many times now. I would probably do 3.5 if I could.
I couldn't listen to it through at first, but it really grew on me. And it happens to be an Arkansas legend. Go ethel, one of the porrest counties in the Arkansas delta. I can imagine myself listening to this album on a drive.
Just okay
6/10
Good old country acoustic guitar and low gravely vocal telling life stories make listening to this album quite entertaining. But I probably would not want to put it on repeat.
Irgendwo schon beeindruckend 50 Jahre die gleiche simple Musik zu machen und das erfolgreich. Und das meine ich nicht abfällig. Das Album ist unterhaltsam und nett zu hören, gegen Ende nervt dann aber doch etwas die Monotonie.
Meh
Pleasing, like a grandpa singing some of his favorite songs. Great for sleeping to
Started off amazing, but ended with a lot of slow filler tracks that weren't exactly exciting.
Great covers. Love his voice.
On the surface, it's hard to imagine Johnny Cash singing some of these covers. But once you actually listen to the album, it becomes clear: it just WORKS. He adds a dark mood to all of these tracks in a way that befits his unique stylings. He brings together a bunch of disparate tracks from different artists and genres and makes an album that just simply works. It is all kind of capstoned by the fact that this was the last album released during his lifetime; the album listens as if Cash knew this and was making his final, dark, lonely farewell in a way that only he could. A lot of his stylings here aren't necessarily my cup of tea, but I can definitely appreciate what he did here. He showed a level of emotional depth and artistic evolution here that many only wish to achieve.
Pretty cool, knew some of these already. His voice becomes very samey after a while.
It didn't do much to me. I did not dislike, i did not like it. I like the fact that it is easy to sing along to, but thats pretty much it
"Hurt" is a song which brings many feelings with it but the rest of the album is not really my style.
Sad songs, about killing self or someone else and going to a better place but good listen.
Muy lento para mi gusto , no escuchar si estas medio bajon , o si
Грустный старичок
Quite a long album. Such a beautiful artist. His songs are truly lovely. So many rlly nice covers. Fav song is ‘Hurt’.
Classic
Doing this the day after You Want It Darker means two death albums. This is mainly good, sometimes bad, too long, but it's an interesting and worthwhile record.
Ja goed wel, ook wel saai. Leuke van Amerikaanse blues is dat het of heeeeel iers/schots is (zoals dit) of iers/schots/west Afrikaans (dat is dit niet), zoals bluegrass. Vind bluegrass wel leuker en interessanter dan dit. Misschien is het ook net wat interessanter om te luisteren als je lyrics luisteraar bent. Maar alles klinkt natuurlijk heel goed! Well meet again was erg mooi!
Some people love Mr Cash, but I don't number myself among them. To me, he is an interesting singer with a unique, haunting sound, but not someone that stirs my soul.
70 year-old sings classic songs
It was ok was more of a thing I would have in the background but it had some good songwriting.
5/15 bekannt 7/10 Beste Songs: hurt, in my life, personal Jesus
Très sympa, je soupçonne que ça serait 4 en regardant les lyrics !
Enjoyed his weary voice. The review on here didn't make it clear that he had rerecorded all these as an old man.
samtige stimme, tolle songs - so könnte man zum countryfan werden.
Leider macht seine Stimme nicht mehr mit
It was fine, the covers were good and unige and the mixing of his voice felt really loud, like he was standing right next to me, I like the album
A lot of moody stuff.
Mooie covers met zijn unieke stem
You see it all the time, especially on Reddit: Name a cover song which is better than the original. Instantly you have a hundred clampets falling over one another to scream 'mummy! Mummy, please, I know this one! It's Hurt by Johnny Cash!' Except it's not. Crap song to begin with, and the cover isn't any better. Having said that, both are infinitesimally better than that torrid Mad World from Donnie Darko. If a covers albums must be on this list, I suppose it should be this one. It has that emotional and cultural weight - the final words of a man who has been part of the Zeitgeist for more than half a century, feeling the reaper's icy claw squeeze that bit tighter. As with any covers album, there will be covers of songs you like(In My Life) and songs you can't stand (Personal Jesus). It's not unusual that being so close to death a religious dude will select songs related to the particular brand of fairytale he was indoctrinated into, but he also retained some humour in his song choices. Perhaps the funniest choice is the decision to release what amounts to a rap album as his final product, a middle finger to Country fans indeed. His talky-singy renditions belonging more on the gangsta side of the aisle than the cowboy.
Peça por ser demasiado grande e monótono, a Hurt não merecia isto mas oh well
Mais um álbum icónico, gostei de ouvir e descobrir mais uma ou duas músicas para além da Hurt. No entanto como álbum acaba por ser um pouco longo, com várias músicas um pouco meh. Se pudesse dava 3.5, mas 4 para um álbum em que gostei a sério de 1/3 das músicas parece demais.
Quite powerful, some of the songs sound like he’s singing at his own funeral. Obviously knowing this was his final release looms over the album but even if I didn’t know that I think I would’ve felt like I’m hearing a man’s final words. It’s just surprisingly good for all covers. Danny Boy usually doesn’t get me but his version did. We’ll meet again was such a sweet song to end on. Rating: 3.5
In terms of sequencing I really can’t believe Hurt is #2. Hard to follow!!
Such a sad listen. I do love me some Johnny Cash, but this is not one of my top albums of his. It was quite beautiful, just such a change from the Johnny I grew up with. Has a cover of one of my all time favorite songs - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
i hurt myself today
6.0/10 Liked some of these covers
I didn't like Johnny cash growing up, but I like the idea of an experienced singer like him doing a stripped down acoustic album with immense feelings... But this isn't it... A couple of them work, mainly hung my head and to a degree hurt but so much of it just sounds like you've gone to a concert at an old people's home and you don't want to embarrass them by walking out, so you sit through it cringing that he can't make the tunes anymore. The first track was awful. So was the 3rd. Bridge over troubled water was poor, but I actually enjoyed the bits where the female backing vocals came in, but then they went out again and he couldn't manage the tune and so he started talking and it drifted into William shatner territory, only shatner lives in the zone and totally owns it, while cash seemed to go there cos he didn't know how to make it work. Personal jesus had promised with the grooving guitars and his darker vocal, but then there was a piano glissando and the verses were naff. In my life had some alright guitar but the vocals wasn't interesting. After that I didn't think about opinions as much as just let it pass me by. Oh, it's a double album. I see. God. I think because his voice is shot the ones were he is contemplating death and especially the ones suggesting he has no hope really work well, the others... Not so much. I didn't like hate it, but I didn't like it. But just for hung my head it's worth a 3.
Not a huge country fan, but I think Cash is a rare exception. Hurt is an absolute classic.I also enjoyed The Man comes Around. While Cash is a great performer and fantastic storyteller, this is an album full of covers which is a bit disappointing. I am only giving this three stars, but trust me, for a country album that is an impressive score.
country and slow. good but i need to be in a certain mood for country
Johnny Cash does covers. I mean, he does them well, but still.. it’s all just.. covers?
Pretty good album of mostly covers
Not a huge Johnny Cash fan, so this was just okay for me.
Wow, beautiful covers of bamgers, giving them a new twist
Not a huge country fan but always enjoy some Johnny Cash.
5/10
One approach to interpreting music has always been stripping things down: guitar and voice, piano and voice, guitar or piano solo. Melodic/rhythmic accompaniment and the words, with melody and whatever character the singer brings. And that’s pretty much all the formula one needs for a vocalist as distinct - but crucially, well-known - as Johnny Cash. It’s not quite a Henry Fonda as the bad guy switcheroo, but the same disarming, even surprising concept is at play: old country vocalist whose hey day was 30 years prior takes a crack at contemporary songs. It could just end up being a gimmick, but instead, the American Recordings act as a meditation or soliloquy for Cash, as opposed to just doing his level best renditions later in life (a la the Sinatra duets). This is not the sound of a boundary-pushing folk hero performing for prisoners his age, but a man reflecting on his past and present. The result could be a gimmick in lesser hands, something that pop music lends itself to both in form and delivery, but here, it’s a masterstroke.
Első szám elég baba egy idő után azért repetitiv lesz de a csavo orgánuma 10/10
I can tell why he was so popular, he still sounds great even into his old age which is crazy. personally not the music I am into but very talented
I don’t typically listen to this type of music but I enjoyed most of the songs on this album, my favourites being The man comes around, hurt, bridge over troubled water and personal Jesus. I did enjoy most of the covers compared to the songs he wrote himself but overall this was a good album. I could see myself listening to most of the songs again.
Not my style
With 3 original songs and 12 covers, Johnny Cash built up a quite grim and tragic soundtrack for his last moments of his life. According to Wikipedia, this was the last release from Johnny Cash while he was still alive, and the themes and performances show that he was very aware that death was approaching, and fast. For this composition, he specifically chose songs that depict subjects of the pass of time, remorse, looking back at the great moments of live, sadness and of course, death. The way this album starts is insane. It opens with "The Man Comes Around" , a fantastic starter to the album, featuring some biblical references such as The Four Horsemen; and "Hurt", which is possibly he's most popular song. I'll admit that I prefer the original song by Nine Inch Nails, but he and the team did an absolutely incredible job at reworking the track while capturing the same feelings and power that the first one has. The album then continues with a great series of very beautiful songs, such as his classic "Give My Love To Rose", the wonderful "Bridge Over Troubled Water" featuring Fiona Apple, the tragic "I Hung My Head" and the sorrowful "First Time I Ever Saw Your Face", "In My Life" and "Danny Boy". The next bunch of songs didn't impact me as much as the previous one. The slowest moments, "Desperado" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"are a bit dragging (specially the first one with Don Henley annoying voice), and both 'Tear Stained Letter' and 'Streets of Laredo' are very standard country tracks. What I did love from this last part is the ending. I think "We'll Meet Again" works incredibly well as a swansong. Instead of being some of the darkest moments, it sounds very uplifting with the lyrics reminding the listener to keep on going even after he is gone. This is a very moving moment and the choir singing along with Johnny makes the song even more impactful and beautiful. So yes, this album is quite powerful and moving. However, I do think the second half drags a bit too much, enough for me to lower the score a bit.
Not what I was expecting; a little disappointed in the man in black
The lyrics are meaningful it reminds me slightly of an Edgar Allen poem it's moody with making u fell u need something so 3/5
извини но нет
Classically American