Great Album with character and purpose (The Man Comes Around: American IV - Johnny Cash)

Member Name: paulie1975

Product:	The Man Comes Around: American IV - Johnny Cash
Date:	22/04/09 (56 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wonderful voice and choice of songs

Disadvantages: Not for people who depress easily

This is almost an introspective by Johnny Cash, an album released very late in his career, close to his death, its almost as though he has chosen songs he feels appropriate and they really are. I have read other reviews on this site and I do accept that songs such as Bridge over troubled water, and we'll meet again don't need improving upon, but these are simply cover versions in the sense that Cash is reinterpreting them and I think he does an amazing job because when he sings he brings everty word to the fore and gives real meaning to them, i've never found We'll meet again so moving, this is an incredibly good album and Rick Rubin keeps production to a minimum ensuring that this is pure Johnny Cash with a guitar.

When the Man Comes Around - A great start to the album, Johnny and a guitar, he croons his waty through a song that begins talking about death, to me this is a song about the grim reaper visiting, he being 'the man' of the title, the song is simple, country music with an edge it is superb, I love the chorus, love the lyrics, love the tone, I might be overzealous here, but this really is a great song.

Hurt - A reworking of a song by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, this was originally a very heavy trash metal track, the reworking is perfect for Cash with his history, its about drugs taking away the pain of living and it is a dark, morbid classic, the gentle rhythm and melody crashes against incredibly angry introspective lyrics, this song is amazing and is one of my favourite songs, the lyrics are amazing in this context with this gentle delivery every word is brutal.

Give My Love to Rose - A nice country and western classic, this reminds me of my granddad a telling of a tale, a lovely rolling melody and the emotion of Cash' lyrics I think this is superb it is the perfect antidote to the annihilation of the previous song, as ever it has a sad ending as nearly every song on this album does but its an incredible love song of a man's devotion to his wife and child.

Bridge Over Troubled Water - This is obviously an all time classic anyway, but I do feel like this is a genuinely good reworking, Cash' slow drawl of a delivery is touching, it is a beautiful song that does benefit from the slowed down pace of the song, Cash brings a sadness to the song in essence making it uplifting as much as beautiful. The voice is great, I don't think the support lyrics add anything and some of the backing music is a bit weak but overall Cash, his guitar and this song work.

I hung my Head - This has a nice loping beat to it, again it has a real story behind it and reminds me of the country and western songs I heard as a kid, this is again a tale of tragedy when Cash accidentally shoots a man, I love the way the song develops, the melody is gentle and a perfect contrast, this sounds like the last confessions of an old man remembering his childhood.

First Time Ever I saw your face - To some people this doesn't work but for me the inadequacies in Cash's voice give this a vulnerability that some greater voices can't, it falters and makes me think it is real rather than sheened over, every word is dwelt upon giving it more resonance. Cash sounds to be caught up in this song utterly, the Hammond organ and acoustic guitar support him gently but purposefully. A great tune given a fresh feel.

Personal Jesus - Reworking Depeche Mode is tough at the best of times, the piano and guitar are cranked up a bit, this doesn't work as well as some of the tunes but they lyrics fit the mood of the album and Cash throws himself into the tune fully.

In My Life - It's true that this song can't be improved, but when you have a dying legend singing this tune it has a sense of truth to it, the experiences in Cash's voice give this so much emotion in so little effort, I think this is better than the beatles version simply because I believe it more and I adore the beatles. This is a devastatingly beautiful love song and I think the words are utterly captivating, Cash makes this song his own. The use of a little triangle and gentle guitar strokes make this a lovely dreamy little song.

Sam Hall - Another Country and Western tune it starts brilliantly and you are kept enthralled through the tune, another song about murdering somebody, by this point you get the feeling this ain't an uplifting album!! This is the song of a man at the gallows ready to be hanged, cursing the world, Cash portrays the fella perfectly.

Danny Boy - Lovely organ introduction, this lacks the grace of many versions but it has a grit and integrity to it that many other versions can't get near. Its never shouted, its low toned, croaky and absolutely stunning, some people say it can't be remade but this is not another Irish balladeer or choir this is a man who has lived a full life singing about a man who has lived a full life.

Desperado - A classic country and western tune, this is scaled down and allows Cash to get below the surface and really bring the lyrics out, as sometimes the tune is overtaken by people crooning or shouting, a great song given a gentle new lease of life.

I' m so lonesome I could cry - Heartbreaking tune, his voice is stunning, it sounds to me as though Nick Cave joins him on this tune and both growl their way through the song, the contrast of the voices is perfect, the lingering on words works, the emphasis on each sentence is wonderful. The chorus is perfect, the melodic guitar contrasts wonderfully from the voices and makes this a gentle bittersweet song of some proportion.

Tear Stained Letter- Starts off very country and westernish, another letter of love being lost and sadness, the song has an upbeat tune and a seventies piano riff running through it but it has a real nasty taste to it with Cash making the woman he's writing to feel awful about something she's done to him, you feel like he really has been through this and can feel the bitterness of a man who has been spurned.

Streets of Laredo - Gentle tune, the voice is made harsher than ever, it has a majestic boom to it, this is one of the weakest on the album it sounds like an old fashioned tune and while its fine I don't get much from it although I understand why its on the album, I think Cash chose it to signify a moment in his life as he has done on every other song on the album.

We'll meet again - A perfect reworking, the guitar is light and bouncy, Cash puts more positiveness into this song than the rest of the album, it is his farewell song and it is gorgeous, it has a life lived within it, at points he sounds mean, at other he sounds very old, he sounds happy to be saying goodbye and content, the song works so well, you can imagine it for once without the context of world war 2. A fantastic finish to the album.

Big Iron - A country and western tune about an outsider in town a man who comes to change things, again this is symbolic and is a tune you would associate with a mean outlaw of a singer like Johnny Cash, a great song, gentle but with real punch.

I love this album, some people have said its just an album of covers, its true but I think Cash chose songs that had personal meaning, charting his problems with women, drugs and religion, each has a context and meaning, the album has a flow to it and each song is based around Cash and a guitar and all songs work on their own. The production is simple and allows us to enjoy Cash's voice to the full.

This is one of my favourite albums, its enjoyable songs, a distinctive voice with age, maturity and character and simple tunes with great melody. The songs generally aren't uplifting but then if you read about Cash he wasn't that type of guy, the tunes all have a beauty to them and some are utterly beautiful in their space and tone. There is talk of death of cheating and of loneliness, all is done with brutal honesty and a voice that intones that he knows his own end is soon to come, that makes this album even more powerful.

The album is available on download pretty much everywhere and is available on cd for £4.98 at Amazon.

Summary: The Big Man finishes on a high note