Back in Black

Artist: Johnny Cash
Album: American IV: The Man Comes Around
Produced by: Rick Rubin, American Recordings/Lost Highway

With a vivid description of the Day of Reckoning that rings more powerfully than the fiercest fire and brimstone preacher, Johnny Cash is back. His new album, American IV: The Man Comes Around, reminds us why Cash’s career has spanned nearly 50 years. When The Man in Black speaks, let alone sings, people listen. It’s not the volume, not the emotion, in fact, I can’t say what it is exactly, but Cash’s gravelly voice is nothing short of godlike.

Remembering song lines like, “I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die” and “the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, so I had one more for dessert,” it’s hard to imagine Cash already moving into his 70th year. But no matter how old he is, and though “the industry” places him in the country genre, his attitude is truly punk rock.         

The Man Comes Around kicks off with its title track where Cash combines his aggressive style with ominous piano chords and a handful>

Over the past 50 years, through jail time, drug abuse and redemption, Cash has given us some timeless classics. Well-into his golden years and battling ill-health, The Man in Black easily could’ve lounged on a beach-side hammock instead of slaving away in the recording studio. After buying The Man Comes Around, I’m grateful Cash left Jamaica to give us one last album. Even if you're not a fan, there's no denying Cash's music is unforgettable--and you don't have to like country or punk rock to appreciate that.