Johnny Cash - The Gospel Side Of The Man In Black

Johnny Cash - The Gospel Side Of The Man In Black
The Country Music Planet presents Johnny Cash, a legend.

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The Country Music Planet
Presents
Johnny Cash
The Gospel Side Of The Man In Black

Do Lord - Listen / Where We'll Never Grow Old - Listen
I Am A Pilgrim - Listen / I Shall Not Be Moved - Listen
If We Never Meet Again This Side Of Heaven - Listen
I'll Fly Away - Listen / In The Gaeden - Listen
I'm Bound For The Promised Land - Listen
In The Sweet By And By - Listen / Just As I Am - Listen
Let The Lower Lights Be Burning - Listen
Softly And Tenderly - Listen / When He Reached Down - Listen
When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder - Listen
Where The Soul Of Man Never dies - Listen

A Review Of This CD From Amazon

A poignant spiritual journey to the gospel roots, May 19, 2004

Reviewer: Jon Eric Davidson (see more about me) from Woodinville, WA, USA

Johnny Cash is so many things to so many people, which served to make him so engaging to such a wide swath of culture over the course of his life. It was evident that he battled a great many demons in his 70-plus years on this earth; some he conquered, and others he wrestled with up to the time of his death last year.

Never were Mr. Cash's life struggles and salvations more highlighted than when he chose to delve into gospel music. He fought early in his career to record a Christian album, and these songs that he loved were a prime element of his recording and performing from that point forward. In fact, he may very well have made it "hip" to enjoy this music. So, it is fitting that his first posthumous release is the thoroughly beautiful and powerful "My Mother's Hymn Book".

This disc exposes the spirituality and vulnerability of Mr. Cash in his twilight years, and continues the trend of his career resurrection with the American Recordings label. As described in the liner notes, Mr. Cash recorded songs taken from his beloved mother's hymn book (hence the title of the disc). These songs are pure old-time gospel; songs and hymns that have been a staple of Christians for decades.

What makes this disc so powerful is in the simplicity of its production. All the tracks were recorded just with Mr. Cash's vocals and his acoustic guitar. The result is that the songs are performed as the listener would hear in church. However, there are more intangibles to this recording that make it a wonderful experience to listen to. As with almost every song in his extensive catalog, Mr. Cash conveyed a sense to the listener that he lived the experiences that were put to music; that is no different in this case. Mr. Cash's vocals relate a raw emotional quality that are enhanced even more by the knowledge that he and his wife's time on earth was short. But, there is a power and confidence to his effort that suggest he was comfortable with his place in life and also with his spiritual future.

When I first purchased this disc, I listened to it in entirety three times. I just hit "replay" on the CD player and was enthralled with what I was hearing. I could not wait to share this disc with family and friends, and likewise, I am eager to recommend this to a wide audience. Not only will Johnny Cash fans enjoy this, but fans of Christian music - or just good traditional music in general - will also find this captivating. Therefore, I give "My Mother's Hymn Book" a hearty five-star rating.