My Mother's Hymn Book

It is important to say -call it the result of not being warned time after time, of the actual source of posthumous releases- that "My Mother's Hymn Book" is, without exceptions, the exact same collection that appeared as volume 4 of the "Unearthed" set. That said, and for people who can't or would not buy the 5-CD set, this is a remarkable album in its own right. Whether you grew up listening to these or similar songs at home or church or not, whether you are even religiously inclined toward the Christian faith or you profess some form of agnostic alergy to spiritual music, it would be very hard not to be drawn to the austere honesty and profound depth of these renditions. For Cash's devotees, this is yet another true gem from the inexhaustible soul of a great artist. The fact that Cash decided to record these old hymns knowing full well that he was dying makes the listening experience even more meaningful, an act of faith and an artistic document of moving depth, but, and...Read more

The satirical newspaper, The Onion, once featured the headline: Affluent White Man Enjoys, Causes the Blues. The article reports a self-described "blues nut" who is a senior vice-president of a Chicago-area industry that employs-and grossly underpays-African Americans. At least a part of the humor here pokes fun at the Caucasian blues aficionado who "loves the music" but, of course, has never really participated in the culture from which it has emerged. Your typical Taj Mahal concert these days will be attended by throngs of adoring, Abercrombie&Fitch-wearing, baby-boomer yuppies. Then there is the Wall Street trader who is devoted to the music of, say, Doc Watson or Flatt and Scruggs. Though he would hardly wish to spend time in that flyover territory between New York and L.A. and rub elbows with the unwashed for whom such music is a way of life, he enjoys a good PBS bluegrass special featuring Allison Krauss. There is, of course, nothing particularly wrong with...Read more

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...Read more