Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Johnny Cash - Ultimate Gospel (2007)


A very moving compilation of old time religious tunes originally recorded 1957-1981. Cash's voice and these tunes are a perfect match. From Jeff Tamarkin's AllMusic review:
A deeply religious man, he sang his songs of praise with as much, or perhaps more, conviction as he did his secular material -- even the most skeptical non-believer would have to appreciate the honesty and soul of Cash's gospel recordings. As with all of Cash's music, there is a realism and warmth to his delivery; Cash's spiritual music is saccharine-free and naked in its emotions, non-preachy and devoid of hellfire in its words -- he's out to tell a story, not to convert.
There's 24 tracks and 67 minutes of uplifting music here and I'm left wanting more. It's a treat to hear the autoharp and the traditional call-and-response background vocals and harmonies. Gospel as I remember it.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Highlights are Belshazzar, The Old Account, How Great Thou Art, (There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me), Oh Come Angel Band, Daddy Sang Bass, and Children Go Where I Send Thee.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  Nothing specific, but if you, like me, were dragged to church by your parents during the time these recordings were made, these songs are strangely comforting. I'm struck with a vision of a revival tent on a dusty, West Texas prairie.

Previously revisited for the blog:
At Folsom Prison (1968)

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