With each passing year, Johnny Cash’s posthumous legacy becomes increasingly relevant. He also had a treasure trove of previously unreleased recordings, which were released through the American Recordings series of albums, issued both before and after his passing. This particular release is an interesting one, as it has no re-recordings of previous songs that Johnny Cash did. It was as if Johnny Cash himself was continuing to issue his music after leaving this world. These were some more of the final recordings of Johnny Cash’s life produced by the legendary Rick Rubin during May to August 2003, and the album was released on 23 February 2010. This album runs for just over 32 minutes and charted highly at #3 on the USA Billboard Charts, being released on American/Lost Highway Records. Let’s take a listen to this album, and hopefully, it should be an excellent listening experience.

1. Ain’t No Grave (Gonna Hold This Body Down) begins with beefy acoustic guitars, and the song quickly launches into action. This is exactly the message from the grave that Johnny Cash fans need to hear today. It just sounds different and mellow throughout, despite the fact that Johnny Cash is singing from a rather morbid place, considering he was dying at the time. Banjo is present as well, alongside piano. A stripped-back and dark listening experience that works wonders. There is some impressive slide guitar throughout that sounds precise and moody. Johnny Cash asks Jesus to meet him in midair to do a deal with him, which is a very sad listen indeed. A great listen, although this is a very dark tune. A church bell is in the background as well.

2. Redemption Day begins with some more melodic acoustic guitars that are dual-tracked, and has Johnny Cash singing sadly about those who have left this planet. A seriously awesome listen, although this is very bleak music. Johnny Cash knew his time was drawing to a close, and delivered a gorgeous musical statement to match his mood. The keyboards and piano also give an eerie substance and sound to these recordings. He does sound very sad, and his voice, although in tune, warbles with despair and sadness throughout. This is powerful music, and is an excellent reminder of how good Johnny Cash was as a musician. This is some of the darkest and close to the bone music that has ever been recorded, to this very day. There are many references to Christian concepts of passing on, and it is quite clear that Johnny Cash held strong to such beliefs as he approached the end of his life. A sad but lovable tune. Dark and moody, Johnny Cash delivers what he could at the time. Ingenious.

3. For The Good Times sounds a lot brighter and cheerier. Johnny Cash sings sweetly about the end of things, and he sounds like he is accepting his fate, that death awaits him. A very emotional and pure listening experience, this music is simple yet melodically beautiful to hear. Simple acoustic plucking, strumming and Johnny Cash’s rather raspy voice all add some character to this music. Despite his unavoidable scenario, Johnny Cash pushes on with his music and message. This music is a really sweet interpretation of love and heartbreak. A solid gold tune that sounds deep and simple, yet interesting, Johnny Cash deserves more credit than he gets. A really fantastic tune to hear, and this is one of the lesser-known tracks of this album.

4. I Corinthians 15:55 is a Johnny Cash piece that is named after a Bible passage. It begins with some moody piano and has Johnny Cash singing smoothly over the top of it all. Johnny Cash does not sound very hopeful or optimistic here, and this tune is a good reminder of the fact that we all pass on eventually at some point in this world. All in all, this music is a good listen, but a very sad and close to the bone one. If you are a Christian and like stripped-down music, this is a great fit for you. This song is a bit of an acquired taste, to be fair. It is not exactly something that has a wide appeal. Still, it is very, very good to listen to. A truly amazing and inspired piece by Johnny Cash about the nature of passing on itself. The string section is a nice touch as well. Worth listening to.

5. Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound begins with acoustic guitars that are multitracked and in different channels. Soon enough, Johnny Cash enters with his singing, and he sounds really sad and mournful here. This is a tune about approaching death itself. It sounds very deep and meaningful, and Johnny Cash prepares to accept his personal fate as he approaches the end of his life on this song. The acoustic guitars and piano do sound sweet. Johnny Cash proves to the world that even towards death, he was a seriously hardworking man who made great tunes. The mixture of acoustic guitars, piano, keyboards and vocals sounds really great here. All in all, a stunning listen that has majestic grace and power throughout. A nice tune, although this is rather an acquired taste.

6. Satisfied Mind begins with more acoustic guitar strumming and has Johnny Cash’s deep, raspy baritone singing away. This is a sensationally good-sounding song, and it has a majesty and power behind it all. The lyrics are autobiographical in nature, and it has a story of losing it all and finding peace within oneself. The truth is that money isn’t everything in this world, and this is about finding happiness instead, which is more important. Indeed, a great musical statement and something very deep and meaningful in that regard. This is very simple, yet beautiful music for fans of Johnny Cash. Very wonderful to listen to.

7. I Don’t Hurt Anymore begins with a count-in and is a much more optimistic song from this album as such. Johnny Cash decides to move on from heartbreak and grief, and delivers a sweet and sensational music statement that counts. This is a good song to listen to if you can move on from a love gone sour. Absolutely amazing sounding, and the piano and organ are sweet, too. A really nice and gentle music statement by our main man, Johnny Cash. The acoustic guitar solo is also a very nice touch. The fact that Johnny Cash was able to record amazing tunes so late in his career is definitely amazing. A bittersweet listen, this is an excellent musical statement. Awesome to hear.

8. Cool Water follows on with strummed acoustic guitars and returns to the misery-based storytelling that Johnny Cash seems to exert on this album. A really dramatic and fantastic listen, this is a great example of music for those who are down with life. Seemingly, death is an inevitability in life, as are taxes. Regardless, this is a story of desiring cool water to drink as a metaphor for those of you looking for something worthwhile in life. Nonetheless, this is very, very awesome to hear. A sensationally awesome listening experience. Wonderful music to listen to.

9. Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream is a great song title for those of you who have deep sleep insight via dreams. It begins with acoustic guitars and other instrumentation throughout that is unique and sweet. This is Martin Luther King Jr. set to acoustic Country Music, and Johnny Cash sings sweetly about world peace being declared. A beautiful and pretty listening experience that sounds absolutely gorgeous, complete with pedal steel sounding slide guitar and a string section, this is another powerful music statement. There is a keyboard solo section and acoustic guitars galore as well. A very fantastic tune to listen to, Johnny Cash worked very hard to make good music throughout his lifetime. A sweet listen, and something awesome to remember.

10. Aloha Oe is the final tune for this album. It begins with slide acoustic guitar and other strummed acoustic guitars present. Johnny Cash sings with his deep, gravelly voice and depicts a nature-based experience present on this tune. A pretty and magical listen, this song is undeniably enjoyable and although a bit morbid lyrically, sounds really great. The slide acoustic guitar solo is sweet and tasty, and it brings a neat change to the music at hand. A great tune to listen to throughout. Even towards his death, Johnny Cash delivers a lovely musical statement. Awesome.

This is a very good album that showcases that even towards his death, Johnny Cash was consistently able to create and deliver songs that had a great and pretty musical spirit to them all. Indeed, the entire American Recordings series of albums is a must hear, and this entry is no different. It is yet another winner, and all involved should be proud of getting Johnny Cash’s final musical moments recorded. Should you listen to this album? Yes, if you love acoustic guitar-led Country Music songs. However, if you love EDM, you will probably hate this sort of music.

Fantastic.

9/10