The fact that Johnny Cash does not yet have his own category on Ciao is shameful and they should hang their heads in shame until they rectify this. One of my ambitions as a Kid was to walk on a stage and say “Hello I’m Johnny Cash”; I fulfilled this ambition but, as a I launched into a unique Karaoke Version of A Boy Named Sue. The bloke doing the Karaoke told me later that he had never quite witnessed anything like my quite performance. It was at this point I realised that I would never be Johnny Cash. Bono out of U2 once said that “Every man knows that they are a sissy compared to Johnny Cash” this is true, but it is also true that Bono is a pretentious twonk, who makes uninspiring music. Johnny Cash on the other hand made totally inspiring music, I always imagined that god sounds a bit like Johnny Cash, but god speaks in Hebrew or something. (1)

The album comes with extensive sleeve notes written by the Man (4) himself in which he explains the songs selected for this project and he writes a bit about how he dislikes red lights in studios which is truly enlightening.(5)

The first track “Rowboat” Written by Beck, is a beautiful piece of American folk music, with Johnny’s’ voice on top form, strong yet tender and loving with a bit of menace behind it. You know what I was saying about Johnny sounding like God where her is your proof matey boy or girl. On the sleeve notes he says that he is not going to ask Beck what he means by the line “I’ll be home with the gasoline” because he has been like that before himself. This is what country is about simple songs played from the heart with experience. “Sea of Heartbreak” is a tender ballad which he dedicates for the most part to his wife (the woman that tamed him) June Carter. “Rusty Cage” is a song about almost everything that Johnny liked singing songs about, and is dirty as hell, written by Tom Petty and this is probably the one song that sounds most like Tom Petty and The Heart Breakers.

“Spiritual” deals with Mr Cash’s more spiritual side and the opening line of “Jesus I don’t wanna die alone” sends shivers up my spine. Johnny like me transcended the need for all that organised church nonsense that so many people need to express their spirituality, and once again this song is just beautiful and uplifting, thanks for that one Johnny.

“Meet Me In Heaven” was a song Johnny had written for his wife June but was also the words written into his brothers tombstone, and really I can’t say much more about a song that personal to the writer other than it is a beautiful piece of country gospel, and that listening to it with an open ear just might make you understand something about love. “I Never picked Cotton” is more of a statement of intent than a song, rebellion, betrayal and redemption are classic elements of country music and here it is for you in its full glory. The last two songs “Unchained” is a superb piece of gospel, if the music was this good in our churches then more people would go, and “I’ve Been Everywhere” finish off this album but I have grown weary of writing as the codeine is wearing off so I will leave you in one paragraphs time.

RIP Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash and thanks for all the inspiration.