Johnny Cash - American V: One Hundred Highways Review [2]
Posted by Daniel Midani on 07.21.2006
A Legend in ANY time…
Johnny Cash is the most well known name in country history even though you can’t really consider his music country. You can’t fit his style into any certain genre but you can include him into many; Rock and Roll, Blues, Rockabilly, Folk, and Country. This is clearly shown by the three major Hall of Fames he is in: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. When the best solo artist ever discussion comes up, he is always in the running. In my opinion, he is the best solo artist ever. His music career spanned over five decades and three generations. He was able to cross-over his extremely religious themed music into the mainstream. So much so that young adults such as myself are loyal fans.
I didn’t start listening to his music until I was 19. Before then, I knew his name, what he did, and a couple of his more popular songs but I didn’t know anything else. I started listening to him after his death out of curiosity. I didn’t listen to country back then. In fact, I didn’t know much about music period. I started listening to him in reverse chronology order, starting with American IV, American III and so on. After American IV, he quickly became my favorite solo artist.
Now, when new albums made by a decease artist is always questionable. Many think that it’s just the record companies trying to suck out every last penny they can get. Whether it’s just a collection of already released songs or a bunch of unreleased demos in the artists early years, the record company looks like they can care less about the artist. I don’t agree with that idea but it is a debatable topic. One album that can not be apart of that argument is American V: One Hundred Highways. Good friend and producer Rick Rubin would never allow his friend’s legacy the slightest chance to get tarnished.
I was beyond excited and sad when I found out about the album. Excited because of the twelve new songs. Sad because I knew that it wasn’t going to have any fun songs like “25 Minutes To Go” or any clever songs like “One Piece At A Time”. I knew that this album was going to follow the same sober tone has his Nine Inch Nails cover of “Hurt”. One thing is for sure, this is an extremely moving album. Shedding a tear or two will be the normal reaction while listening to this album entirely. Death and his faith in god are the main themes of all of these songs.
1. "Help Me"
2. "God's Gonna Cut You Down"
3. "Like the 309"
4. "If You Could Read My Mind"
5. "Further On (Up the Road)"
6. "The Evening Train"
7. "I Came To Believe”
8. "Love's Been Good to Me"
9. "A Legend In My Time"
10. "Rose of My Heart"
11. "Four Strong Winds"
12. "I'm Free from the Chain Gang Now"
Help Me – This song is written by Larry Gatlin, a name from the past. In 1977, he won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song. The title and the first verse of this song tell you right away the theme of this album. This is a mellow moving song and a great choice to start the album.
God's Gonna Cut You Down- I was really surprised when I heard this song. The clapping and stomping really caught me off guard. This is easily the upbeat song of the album. Cash sounds wonderful in his song.
Like the 309 – This is the last song that Johnny Cash wrote. That alone makes this song memorable. Anyone can relate to this song, all you have to do is change 309 to your local highway or freeway number even though he is referring to a train.
If You Could Read My Mind – This is a really moving song with a great story.
Further On (Up the Road) – This is a Bruce Springsteen cover but there is not way you can tell without looking it up, that’s how I found out. This song is a much light hearted song compared to the rest.
The Evening Train – Johnny covers quite possibly the greatest country star, Hank Williams. If you have ever listen to any of Williams’ songs, you know they usually have a sad sober theme. This song follows the trend. It’s pretty clear where this train is going in this song.
I Came To Believe – The other song that Johnny wrote on this album and his second to last song ever. Johnny’s well known religious side is clearly shown in this song.
Love's Been Good to Me – “Like a hundred highways, I’ve never found a home”. It’s obvious that he’s talking about June in this song. The was’ and were’s really make this a touching song.
A Legend In My Time – A moving song but a bit repetitive. It’s clear that Johnny died before they were able to complete the song. They do a good job with what they had but I this is the weakest song of the album.
Rose of My Heart – Either Cash was feeling really bad or we got really choked up while singing this song. If you’re aiming to cry listening to this album, this will be the song.
Four Strong Winds – A very simple song but even the simplest song sounds brilliant with Cash’s deep vocals. This is the other somewhat weak song in this album.
I'm Free from the Chain Gang Now – A brilliant song to end the album with. This is a rerecording from Cash’s “The Sound of Johnny Cash” released in 1962. The title itself makes this a perfect song to end one of the biggest names in music history career.
The 411: This is the best American album, hands down. Unlike the other four American albums, this one has a clear identity instead of a bunch of great songs. Music icon Rick Rubin does a brilliant job assembling this album. This is a must have album for any music fan. The easiest and best summary of this album is said by Rubin, "It's an amazingly sad album. At times, it's hard to get through, but it's really beautiful.”
