Here goes the Man In Black

In the nearly 50 years of creative life of Johnny Cash, the American singer / songwriter has impressively left his mark in the music business. Awards pave his career. Numerous Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Hall of Fame Award for "I Walk the Line" and "Ring of Fire" (1996) and the year following it, Lifetime Achievement Award. Acceptance into the Nashville Songwriters (1977), Country Music (1980) and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1992). The career of Johnny Cash can be not only through this striking key figures describe but just by the ability with simple means to generate strong feelings and to influence sustainable generations of artists in their work. When Rick Rubin, who stepped up to then mainly as a producer for bands like "Run DMC", the "Beastie Boys", "Red Hot Chili Peppers" or "Slayer" in appearance, 1994, the aged, but still proud and creative energy bursting Cash wall, could probably not assess which waves the American Recordings series would trigger for the sequence. The decision to orchestrate the songs only minimalist and thus to give the most attention to the voice of the singer, turned out to be spot on, because - in spite of numerous cover versions - could not authentic sound recordings. In every breath and with every note sung one felt the lived history of music, getting older, physical decay, but also the irrepressible willpower and dignity that surrounded the mind and the person of Johnny Cash. In 2003 he leaves the stage of life, shortly after his wife June. The 5th installment of the series "American V: A Hundred Highways" was released three years later and was able to win the pole position of the US charts for the first time again.

Now it is time for the conclusion of this series: "American VI: Is not No Grave" - ​​announced boldly as Johnny's last studio album. Whether not find in retrospect numerous demos and unreleased tracks that prove the opposite, is another matter, but the fact is that is perhaps not the strongest, but an uncommonly expressive finale of the special cooperation between Cash and Rubin succeeded with Part 6. Having lived wisdom and the knowledge a good life mean the album. Mostly simple, usual gloomy, but not just sad collect the songs 10 it contained, among other things, written by Sheryl Crow and his longtime friend and companion Kris Kristofferson, the listener with their supporting atmosphere. From inexorably marching Opener "Is not No Grave" on the melodic, with bittersweet guitar lines painted under "Redemption Day" or "Can not Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound" to the conciliatory-optimistic conclusion "Aloha Oe" on which he passed with Hawaiian sounds from the album. A "last" time you heard the stage, consisting of acoustic guitar, piano and organ elements, the Man in Black. With this understanding it opens his voice even more and can be hypnotized by her. Not secretly, but quietly, the exceptional artist adopted a body of work for eternity.

Playing tips: "Redemption Day", "Can not Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound" and "Aloha Oe"