Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man

Egbert Williams was a GENIUS!

What a terrific album! Of course, you already know that Johnny Cash was one of the all-time giants in music history. He's become an icon (to such an extent it actually bothers me, I feel it trivializes his greatness in a way).
This album is superb; it makes even a post-80's song by U2 sound great! (sorry, I hate Bono, he's everywhere claiming EVERBODY was his BIGGEST influence when he was "a wee lad'!)
I Won't Back Down -- I got this CD just from the brief snippet about it in Tom Petty's documentary, Runnin' Down A Dream -- and MAN, it is INCREDIBLE. The first time I heard it on this CD I was completely in tears. Completely majestic. (Yes, it's better than Tom Petty's original, which is saying something.)
Solitary Man is great, never heard the original; I ain't too crazy about Neil Diamond--that's what is so great about this album -- if you don't like the original artists too much, you'll forget ALL about them due to Johnny! Great lyrics, I agree with them.
I listened to this a whole bunch this past week or two, and feeling exhausted at times, can completely relate to That Lucky Old Sun. Beautiful singing (I mean especially so on here).
Other highlights are Before My Time, a beautiful love song; Wayfaring Stranger, which I've heard by others but this is the best version I've heard; The Mercy Seat, which I ain't sure bests Nick Cave's original,which is more intense (hell, it's Nick Cave's BEST song! Sure, he's overrated, pretentious -- not nearly as much as Bono -- he's obviously no Johnny Cash -- but on that one, the original is superior I feel. MAYBE.) Country Trash and I'm Leavin' Now are also great.

But--after I Won't Back Down-- my favorite song on here is Nobody.

GREAT! A lament with humor, and one that anybody who's getting unheard or ignored by certain friends will find a great release and laugh from this song.
A perfect song for the holidays if you're lonely, ya ain't rich and you don't have a giant family and tons of friends all around. Christmas SUCKS!!!

IT'S GREAT FUN TO SING ALONG TO ALSO!

Just a terrific album. Bless you Johnny. December 3, 2007

A rare masterpiece

Johnny Cash could probably read my english text book and have me begging for more. Each and every song in this album, (with the exception of Nobody) is profound. Here's a review of every track on this CD.

Track 1 is Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers support on this one, and it's a great song to show that Cash, even at age 68, still has the same power in his voice(back in the 50's it was like a freight train, they used to say.

Track 2 is Neil Diamonds classic, "Solitary Man". Being a Neil Diamond fan myself, I'm sorry to say Cash's cover of his most famous song is better than Diamond ever did it. Tom Petty also sings on this one,and the guitar work is just great.

The third track is "That Lucky Old Sun". It's a melancholy song about a family man trying to work for his family. This one has an atmosphere about it a really enjoy. It's slow and and easy. Good song.

Track 4 is U2's One. The guitar work is wonderful, and the piano is good as well. This is one my favorites.It's a song I never really enjoyed I heard Cash sing it. Now it's one of my favorite songs of all time.

No album is perfect, and track 5 certainly isn't. I'm sorry, don't get me wrong, I love this album, but this song is just plain bad. Cash isn't bad, the accompanist's aren't bad, it's just a bad song. It's a song about a guy with no friends, or something. I only listened to it twice

Track 6 is "I See a Darkness". Merle Haggard sings with Johnny on this one, and it's hauntingly beatiful. It's a dark, depressing song about two good friends who became enemies. This right on, man, love it.

Nick Cave's "The Mercy Seat" is track number 7. If this was the only song in the whole album, it would still be worth every penny I paid for it. That's how good this song is, it's definitely my favorite of the whole CD.
It's about a man who is wrongly imprisoned and charged with murder he didn't commit. In jail, he comes to a knowledge of God, amd later realizes he was guilty. It's powerful song, a sure 10/10

A harsh challenge to a lover makes up track number 8, "Would You Lay With Me". This is a solo by Cash, it's just him and his guitar. I enjoyed it very much, though I thought it didn't really belong in the album.

Johnny Cash and Sheryl Crow sing a song that Cash wrote, Track 9 "Field Of Diamonds". A song to sing while your looking up at the stars one night. Jack Routh and Johnny wrote that song while doing just that.

I'm running out of room here so instead of a full description I'll give you a ranking for the next few

"Before my Time" 2/5
Country Trash" 4/5
"Mary of the Wild Moor" 1/5
"I'm Leavin' Now" 4/5
"Wayfaring Stranger" 4/5

"Solitary Man" is a great album and a worthy addition to your music library, not only because of the great songs, but also because of the depth of each one. Whether your'e a rock'n'roll, country, or pop fan, you'll find something to like in this album.
December 1, 2007

The best late Cash album

This 3rd album in the 'American' series of recordings is amongst the best things Johnny Cash has ever done. As with all the late Cash recordings there is a running thread of passionate honesty and realism that runs throughout the entire the album.

Typical of this is the opening track "I Won't Back Down". Cash is defiant on this track: "Well I know whats right, I got just one life, in a world that keeps on pushing me around, but I stand my ground and I won't back down". This track like the rest is stripped down to a bare minimum. Accoustic guitar with some extra backing vocals on the chorus is all you get, and of because of Cash's fantastic lived in voice, this works to perfection.

Its Cash's voice and the sparse arrangements on this album that make all the covers sound like they were written for him. Neil Diamonds "Solitary Man" and U2's "One" being perhaps the best examples of this. However the best track full stop is Cash's great cover of Nick Caves "The Mercy Seat". Here Cash again restates the running theme through his final albums "I am not afraid die". Full credit to producer Rick Rubin for the arrangement on this track which adds to the already powerful lyric.

I've only just purchased this and I haven't stopped playing it.
May 26, 2007

SOLITARY MAN

VERY GOOD DISC. ALSO HUNDRED HIGHWAYS & LEGEND OF JOHNNY CASH. I AM COLLECTOR OF COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC FOR USE WHEN I HAVE EUROPEAN VISITORS HERE. August 23, 2006

TWO CD's

My married daughter, knowing I would probably enjoy this album, purchased one and sent me it one week after you filled my order for it. She was, ovviously, correct. Now, I am enjoying it twice as much! August 19, 2006

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