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EDIT INFOJohnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man
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Album Details
- Artist: Johnny Cash
- Album: American III: Solitary Man
- Label: American
- Year of Release: 2000
- Reviewed by: dscanland on 2003-03-31
RecommendCash (or album producer Rick Rubin) chose to open the third installment of the American Recordings series with Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down". Seems a little strange as this is the first album that isn't fully backed by Petty and his Heartbreakers. Petty helps out on "Back Down" as well as Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man" but that's about it. The album is stripped down compared to the other two albums but it seems to work for Cash's now frail voice. Other great covers on the album include U2's "One" (quite a surprise), Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat", and Will Oldham's "I see a darkness" (on which he lends a hand with vocals). The rest are all Cash originals and fine one's at that. Some highlights are "Country Trash" and "I'm Leavin' Now". In the liner notes Cash states that they started recording the album in a backwoods cabin. He also had some super musicians helping out like June and Laura Cash, Shryl Crow, Merle Haggard, Randy Scruggs, and Mary Stuart. Even in his old age Cash still has charm and style.
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on 2007-12-06 SolitaryMan Said:
Of all of Cash's 'American' recordings, this is by far the best collection of cover material. Cash's soulful touch and sage-like experience adds so much to classics like U2's "One", Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man" (believe it or not it's this cover version that inspired my name and not the also-excellent original) and, my personal favorite, Nick Cave's "Mercy Seat". While his voice had lost some of it's locomotive-steam at this point, there was no denying the aged confidence and supreme respect Johnny paid into each and every song. His choice to open with Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" is clearly an ode to him and his Heartbreakers band, who were Johnny's backing band on the previous two 'American' recordings. Johnny Cash enjoyed one of the most successful and impacting career twilights in music history, and if you ask me "American III: Solitary Man" is the crowning jewel of it all.
Rating: 9/10
