SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: JOHNNY CASH – SONGWRITER

JOHNNY CASH
SONGWRITER
MERCURY NASHVILLE/UNIVERSAL MUSIC

Johnny Cash passed away in 2003, and he has been missed. Any news of new music is always very exciting and very welcome. Since his passing there have been a few albums of previously unreleased material, so Songwriter is nothing new, but it is certainly welcomed to that collection. Johnny Cash left a lasting mark on music, in country, rock and roll and folk. His influence extends to this day and Songwriter, the new album, offers a glimpse into his creative process that contributed to his incredible impact on music.

Although Cash was a brilliant interpreter of songs, and some of his biggest hits were cover versions, he was a brilliant writer and wrote many iconic songs. This album is all originals by Cash and demonstrates that later in his life he was still a viable force when it came to writing. Songwriter was written and recorded in 1993, some of the songs date earlier, but at that time Cash was between record contracts and he was figuring out his next steps for his career. At this point, his most recent album, which was recorded in 1991, was his fourth Christmas album (Country Christmas) which did not set the music world alight. For this album he went into his son-in-law’s studio and began working on songs. Soon after these sessions, he met Rick Rubin who would resurrect Cash’s career and put him squarely back on top, where he belonged.

Cash’s son, John Carter Cash, has recently found the tapes and rather than just issuing them as is, John Carter Cash did a great deal of work on them. The first thing he did was strip the music back to a guitar and voice foundation. From there, working with David ‘Fergie’ Ferguson (John Prine, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers), began building on the songs. The end result is an incredible album full of trademark Cash sound. The album opens dramatically, setting the stage, waiting for Cash to announce his presence. There is no “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”, but instead we hear “Hello out there, this is planet Earth calling”. This is quickly followed with “our network is falling”. At this point, one knows that The Man In Black is back.

Cash was not about to rewrite the rule books with this album, that would have to wait until 1994’s American Recording, but he was still exploring themes such as love, spirituality, life and much more with Songwriter.  Songs like “I Love You Tonight” is pure country, any yet this loving song for his wife June Carter Cash uses the more traditional sounds to come up with a beautiful and nostalgic song. Cash even pays a little homage to himself with the closing track “Like A Soldier” which has hints of his classic “I Still Miss Someone”. It is a great song and true Cash.

There are some surprises, such as “Drive On” which is one of Cash’s narrative songs with a great story and “Well Alright” which has a great build up. By 1993, Cash was working within a genre that he loved and knew very well and works extremely well within those boundaries. He comes up with original stories and great tunes. Songs like “She Sings Sweet Baby James” allows Cash to dip his toe into folk to tell his story.

The band chosen for Songwriter includes Marty Stuart (who played guitar for Cash and got his first real break with Cash), the late bassist David Roe and drummer Peter Abbott. There are also some significant guests, such as Dan Auerbach, who provides a tasteful solo on the wonderful “Spotlight”, Vince Gill (who duets on “Poor Valley Girl”) and Waylon Jennings who helped out on the original sessions with “I Love You Tonight” and “Like A Soldier”.

Songwriter is a great album. It isn’t Cash’s best album, but does it matter? This is classic Johnny Cash, an album for fans. Will it attract new fans, maybe, but this is really a taste of Cash at a moment in his career/life. No doubt his son and Ferguson have stripped away the early 1990s sound and added players who not only know the music but played with Cash. This album has been lovingly produced and arranged and it is a Johnny Cash album. Songwriter comes from a transitional time for Cash and is important to hear, something between his vastly underrated Mercury albums and his Rubin records. And, really, the bottom line is it is a new Johnny Cash album. Enough said.

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