Johnny Cash
Unearthed (American/Lost Highway) Unearthed looks like a rush job, following Johnny Cash’s death Sept. 12, but the country music immortal and producer Rick Rubin had been working on this supreme 5-CD set as a way to celebrate 10 fruitful years of working together. Over the course of four albums, the duo won Grammys, produced award-winning videos, and, most importantly, revitalized Cash’s career. As the Man in Black noted in many interviews, he and Rubin always recorded much more than they could use on any given project, so there was no shortage of material available for Unearthed. The first three discs collect 64 previously unreleased tracks, some with Cash solo, others backed by Marty Stuart, Glen Campbell, and/or members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Duets with the likes of Nick Cave, Willie Nelson, Joe Strummer, and even Fiona Apple are every bit as eye-opening as covers of Bob Marley, Cat Stevens, Chuck Berry, Neil Young, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earle, Billy Joe Shaver, and Rodgers & Hammerstein. None are out of place. The fourth disc, “My Mother’s Hymn Book,” weighs heavy with 15 solo acoustic performances of spirituals Cash learned as a boy, while disc five is a compilation of his best American Recordings. Included is a 104-page clothbound book featuring one of Cash’s final interviews, an informative discussion with Rubin, and annotated comments by both on each song. This is, of course, just the beginning of posthumous Cash releases (more unheard Cash/Rubin material exists), but few, if any, will match Unearthed. — Jim Caligiuri
This article appears in December 12 • 2003.
