Johnny Cash? That's this mostly black-clad country & western-type ?! The with "Ring of Fire" ?! Who sang once in jail? The time has set a mountain forest in fire and nearly wiped out a rare bird? And Country for me so far always the music for schmerbäuchige, biersaufende Trucker in sweaty vests, something like American folk music. That was just about everything I thought I knew of Johnny Cash and country to date. And then I hear that Rick Rubin is now producing it. So I dare adventure and buy me this CD. And it is incredible what I hear. As a sing with a dark, brittle but left voice to an almost purely acoustic accompaniment songs full of melancholy, sadness, pain, (age) wisdom and hope. And never has the feeling, that's all this is just contrived or made. It sounds honest and true. He freed U2's "One" from the sticky pathos and Nick Cave's "Mercy Seat" sings so believable when he tell his story. Perhaps this is the late Most work an old, Parkinson's sick man. I hope not though. Because this here is great and I think we need more of it.
