Reviewed by Tony May

Recorded with just Cash's voice and guitar, 13 songs which show he's on top form these days. The cover's a now traditional Man In Black pose and truly some of the contents show ole JC in a quite sombre mood. At a recent concert I was very impressed by the man's clear Christian testimony, with his ruggedness giving the thousands present probably a new angle on Christianity. This album has considerable gospel content. There's a fine re-working of Kris Kristofferson's "Why Me Lord?" and songs like "Down There By The Train", "Redemption" and "Like A Soldier" hit the mark too. Watch out for a stunning performance of the Leonard Cohen classic "Bird On A Wire , which receives the full resonant bass voice treatment. The programme closes with some weird humour via Loudon Wainwright's "The Man Who Couldn't Cry", which conjures up vivid echoes of Cash's 'Everybody Loves A Nut' album. Vintage Johnny Cash music on offer here, he's truly a unique and powerful communicator.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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