Johnny Cash
Unchained

THE REVIEW

Are you still sexually active and one morning you wake up with an overwhelming desire for Johnny Cash, but have no idea where on earth to start?

The question, in fact, is not a trivial one: how to navigate an artist (class of '32) active since the early '50s, prolific until just a few years ago, with practically an endless discography behind him?

Beware of the Best of collections, which do justice to no one, and least of all to someone with 50 years of career under their belt. Rather, follow my advice and dive headfirst into the albums released under Rick Rubin's American Recordings. Five must-have gems that open a small window into the immense world of this immense artist. Not considering myself a great expert on Cash, I could be hugely mistaken, nonetheless, what I can tell you is that these albums constitute an opportunity not to be missed, especially for those, like me, who aren't really into country music.

Besides, rejecting a genre like country is certainly not a sufficient reason to deny oneself an essential artist like Johnny Cash. And that seems to be what Rick Rubin, an old fox of the music business, has understood, as he manages with the American cycle to build a bridge between the American singer-songwriter and the new generations, accustomed to very different sounds. And while seeing a dinosaur like Cash reinterpret various Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, and U2 is quite impressive (and can legitimately raise some doubts about the commercial intents of the operation), on the other hand, I can assure you that we can merrily disregard any alleged conspiracies at the expense of our wallets, since Cash silences all naysayers with the overwhelming weight of his talent.

Whether it's rock, pop, or electronics, everything is filtered through the voice, the guitar, and the immense charisma of the American singer-songwriter, who is capable of absorbing the most diverse sounds and transforming them into something of his own. Folks, these five albums are Johnny Cash albums, no doubt about it. Buy them because each one is better than the last. From the intimate "American Recordings", to the multifaceted "Unchained", passing through the phenomenal "Solitary Man" and "The Man Comes Around", to the recent "A Hundred Highways", released after Cash's death, they cover the last ten years of the American singer-songwriter's life: the death of his beloved wife, the struggle with illness, the increasingly intimate relationship with God, and the spiritual travails of a man who, alone, heads solemnly toward death. I say "alone" because in the face of death one is always alone, this is a step, which is faced in solitude. Solitude that, at least apparently, certainly did not characterize the last years of the singer's life, surrounded by the warmth and affection of family and many friends. Yet I have always detected a sense of solitude in Cash's music, and particularly in these last works. An epic of solitude that with the years ended up losing the virile tones of youth and gradually transformed into a condition of acceptance of one's Fate, sometimes serene, other times filled with the fatalism typical of those approaching the End and the pain that life knows how to reserve until the end.

Cash's country becomes a mystical adventure, no longer referring to the epic crossings of the cowboys during the Conquest, but becomes the migration of a Man from Life to Death (or, as Cash himself would say, a journey into the welcoming arms of a merciful God), taking on also sacred tones (just listen to the remake of Nick Cave's "Mercy Seat" contained in "Solitary Man" to understand what I'm saying). These five works are like a photo album, a diary that testifies to a spiritual journey, in which the traveler, who well knows his ultimate destination, gradually sheds unnecessary baggage, earthly ornaments, aiming at the essence of things, yet without losing his own humanity, doubts and weaknesses that characterize it.

"Unchained", released in 1996, is still an album full of life, I have to say. Of the five, it is certainly the most lively. Here Cash is not alone with his guitar, but is accompanied by his friend Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers. And as a result, the sound becomes less minimal and more composite than in the past. The compositions come to shine with refined arrangements, and the fact that there is a real band behind Cash makes everything more rock-oriented (and in fact we certainly won't be here crying betrayal if here and there an electric guitar peeks out). The songs are varied and wide-ranging, touching on a bit of all the sounds that Cash has embraced over his very long career. We will thus encounter inevitably country tracks, such as the opener "Rowboat" (by Beck) with slide guitar and brushes, or pieces like "Sea of Heartbreak" and "The One Rose". We will witness regurgitations of old, good old rock'n'roll jockeying, like "Country Boy", "Mean Eyed Cat" and "I've Been Everywhere", massive fifties rides that will get even the laziest and most indolent of listeners tapping their feet. But above all, we will be delighted by splendid ballads, in which, I must say, Cash gives his best. Pieces that, in my opinion, alone are worth the purchase of the album. And I'm referring to the immense "Spiritual" (in which the word Jesus recurs as many times as Satan is screamed in a Deicide album): a moving prayer shining with a stellar interpretation, a shivers-inducing emotional crescendo that finally clarifies, for those who still had any doubts, the immense artistic stature of Johnny Cash. There is then the incredible interpretation of Petty's own "Southern Accents", and the title track, with a backdrop of strings, that brings us back to the more tense and decadent Cash. A particular nod, finally, goes to "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden, and its rocking interlude, in which the drums finally do its job and Cash's voice rises titanic over everything, painting spirited scenes of perdition. Wonderful.

What really is important to emphasize is the magic of Cash's fantastic voice that can make even the most mushy and retro moments shine, those episodes that in the end turn out to be more thorny and certainly less appealing for those who, as I mentioned at the outset, do not appreciate certain sounds. After all, Johnny Cash would make even an Orietta Berti song interesting.

"Unchained" does not have the intimate depth of "American Recordings", nor does it have the fatalism that will characterize the subsequent, increasingly minimal and sparse works. "Unchained" does, however, have the merit of delivering us for the last time a joyful and lively Cash. "Unchained", by virtue of its versatility, is ultimately a good starting point for entering the world of this artist, often unjustly snubbed because reduced to being labeled as a simple country musician. This, folks, is not country, this is great music, and depriving oneself of it becomes a venial sin for anyone who lives music 360°. Besides, it's no use exhorting you anymore: like a drug, these albums will inevitably take hold of you and I'm sure you will make them yours in no time at all. In fact, I already know that many of you have already done so!