JOHNNY CASH – UNCHAINED (American)
Mixing contemporary covers with originals and older chestnuts, Johnny Cash offers a companion to his splendid return to form, 1994’s American Recordings. While that album was primarily accoustic, Unchained features first rate backing throughout from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Soundgarden’s Rusty Cage could well depict Cash’s physical struggles. A jaw ailment keeps him in almost constant pain. The condition, unresponsive to years of therapy and numerous surgeries is further exasperated by his steadfast refusal (Cash has a history of addictions to pills) to accept any form of medication. Thus there is more than a cursory reading of the lines “You wired me awake and hit me with a hand of broken nails” but the hope lies in the chorus, where, like the lure of heaven, he declares “but I’m gonna break my rusty cage and run”. Throughout Cash makes it clear real peace is to be found in Christ, from the title track where he cries “Take the weight from me, let my spirit be unchained” and in Josh Haden’s Spiritual where he repeats “Oh Jesus, I don’t want to die alone.”
Covers of Dean Martin’s biggest hit Memories Are Made of This and Hank Snow’s I’ve Been Everywhere sit well alongside Beck’s Rowboat. But spiritual themes dominate the album, including Kneeling Drunkard’s Prayer and Meet Me In Heaven.
Throughout Cash is backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, who are the perfect backing band for this project.