JOHNNY CASH - American V: A Hundred Highways [American Recordings - 2006]

I started listening to Johnny Cash when he released “Unchained”, his second album with Rick Rubin, in 1996. A song called “Rusty Cage” was on it. I didn’t listen to old country guys, but since Soundgarden was one of my favorite bands back then, I gave it a chance. I don’t really remember, but I don’t think I enjoyed the whole thing very much.

I was working in a record-store between December 1997 and March 2005. Somewhere along the way I bought all of the American Recordings Albums by Johnny Cash and I also bought the “Love, God, Murder 3 CD Boxset" with older stuff. I started to really like Johnny. I was surprised when he covered “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails on “American IV: The Man Comes Around” 2002, since it is one of my all-time favorite songs. Anyway, on “A Hundred Highways” there are really no “hits” like that. There are a lot of songs about death and god and dying. The songs on this album are the last songs that Johnny Cash ever recorded, and it also includes the very last song that he ever wrote called “Like The 309”. The first song on this album is called “Help Me” (written by Larry Gatlin), and it’s a really great song. It sets the tone for the rest of the album with lyrics like:

Oh Lord, Help me walk. Another mile, just one more mile. I'm tired of walkin' all alone. And Lord, Help me smile Another smile, just one more smile. You know I just can't make it on my own. I never thought I needed help before. I thought that I could get by - by myself. Now I know I just can't take it any more. With a humble heart, on bended knee I'm beggin' You, please, for help...

Other songs are “God´s Gonna Cut You Down”, “On The Evening Train”, “Love’s Been Good To Me”, ”Rose Of My Heart” and some others. There’s also a really good version of the Bruce Springsteen song “Further On Up The Road”. This is a good final chapter for both the American Recording Albums by Johnny Cash, and also for the man himself. Recorded in the months between the death of his wife, June Carter-Cash and his own death (September 12, 2003). It’s a pretty sad record, but a really good one none the less.

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