For someone who died more than 20 years ago, Johnny Cash has been productive. Born in Kingsland, Arkansas, in 1932, Cash — at his peak — sometimes released two or three albums a year. He cut enough music with Rick Rubin in the ’90s and 2000s to constitute several posthumous albums. “Unearthed,” a compilation of gospel tunes, came out shortly after Cash’s death in September 2003. Two more Rubin-produced records — “American V: A Hundred Highways” and “American VI: Ain’t No Grave” — followed in 2006 and 2010. The fifth posthumous Johnny Cash album, 2014’s “Out Among the Stars,” was spearheaded not by Rubin, but by Cash’s only son, John Carter Cash, who revamped songs Cash left on the shelf in the ’80s.
“Songwriter,” which came out on Friday, is the second album John Carter has done for his late father. On it, he has again reworked material that the Man in Black left unfinished, this time from an early ’90s session before Cash began working with Rubin. To complete these tracks, John Carter stripped them down to solely Cash’s guitar and vocals and then built them back up with the help of producer David “Fergie” Ferguson and multi-instrumentalist Marty Stuart, who played with Cash and married (and divorced) one of Cash’s daughters. Also joining the group are bassist Dave Roe, drummer Pete Abbott and a host of others.
On “Songwriter,” the producers chose all Cash originals to fill out its 11 tracks and 30-minute running time. “Drive On” and “Sing It Pretty Sue” will be familiar to fans. Unfortunately, neither is an improvement on the original. The former — about a Vietnam veteran’s difficulties adjusting to life back in the States — is a great song, but I found the jungle-like sound effects to be silly and unnecessary when compared to the spareness of its initial appearance on 1994’s “American Recordings.”
Rather than go for the more updated sound of “Out Among the Stars,” the production on “Songwriter” feels more of the time in which Cash wrote most of these songs (I’m guessing the ’80s and early ’90s, though “Soldier Boy” sounds like it could have been from the ’70s “Children’s Album” sessions). The opening track, “Hello Out There,” echoes the mid-’80s space odyssey “Highwayman” (released by supergroup The Highwaymen, though not written by Cash). And with its references to “alpha and omega,” it feels like an overproduced warm-up for Cash’s 2002 masterpiece, “The Man Comes Around.” Thankfully, the second track, “Spotlight,” is more straightforward and soulful.
I’ve been hearing lead single “Well Alright” on Sirius. I’m not sure why late-career Cash was writing about meeting a gal in the laundromat, but it’s not a bad song. It’s up-tempo, and the lighter-than-lint lyrics make it radio-friendly. Still, if I had to play one of these songs on the jukebox it would be “I Love You Tonite,” about June Carter. It stands out because it sounds like an actual country song. That might be an odd thing to say when talking about Cash, but “I Love You Tonite” feels like a tune that could bring tears to the late-night regulars at your local bar.
“Out Among the Stars” featured “Tennessee,” written by Kentuckian Rick Scott. Cash spent most of his adult life in Tennessee, so the song’s inclusion on that album made sense. But here, we get Cash’s most Arkansas song of all time: “Have You Ever Been to Little Rock?” It’s a love letter to his home state — and a sugary one at that — but it’s earnest, pleasant and I was glad to hear Petit Jean finally get mentioned in a song.
“Songwriter” is a mixed bag, but Cash albums mostly are. When Cash started out, songs — not albums — were what mattered. He released only one album while he was on Sun Records. What we remember from that fruitful and brilliant period is based on his output of standout singles. With Cash, there’s more than enough great material to include on “Greatest Hits” and “Best Of” albums. But for every “At Folsom Prison” or “Bitter Tears,” there are plenty of underwhelming albums that didn’t connect with the public.
Hardcore fans might be disappointed by “Songwriter,” not just because of the fair-to-middling material but the lack of risk in the production. It feels like a lost opportunity. Why be so safe? Why not hand over these Cash originals to a band like the Drive-By Truckers, who collaborated with Booker T. Washington? Or Wilco, who did some of their best work teaming up with Billy Bragg on unreleased Woody Guthrie songs? Heck, why not let a hungry alt-country Arkansas band take a shot at backing the Man in Black? I doubt anyone involved considered this, and even if they had, the idea probably would have been vetoed for commercial reasons.
It’s unfair to review an album that wasn’t made. So, we must focus on what was. Cash completists will give this a spin a few times, but will quickly realize it’s no competition for other albums in Cash’s vast discography. I have no doubt there are still unreleased gems in the Cash archives. But perhaps it’s time to let the Man in Black rest in peace.