American II Unchained

Description

After 1994s American Recordings revitalized Johnny Cashs career, he and producer Rick Rubin had to come up with an encore, and in some respects 1996s Unchained was the sort of album many were expecting American Recordings to be. Instead of the solo acoustic approach of American Recordings, Unchained paired Cash with a noted rock band Rubin had worked with in the past Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, whose roots-conscious style and Southern heritage would seemingly make them compatible with the Man in Black. Theres no arguing that Petty and his band sound fully committed on Unchained and deliver uniformly heartfelt and expert performances. However, part of what made American Recordings so effective was the opportunity to hear Cashs emotionally forceful vocals with only the most minimal accompaniment, and as good as the Heartbreakers are, in their presence Cash sounds a bit more restrained and less willing to push himself. Also, while having Cash cover Glenn Danzigs Thirteen worked unexpectedly well on American Recordings, taking on Beck and Soundgarden doesnt fare nearly as well here, and Cashs version of Memories Are Made of This may have been a better match in theory, but it doesnt quite make it in practice. But there are more than a few triumphant moments on this disc, including inspired recuts of Country Boy and Mean Eyed Cat, a dignified and deeply felt interpretation of Pettys Southern Accents, and a rollicking tear through Ive Been Everywhere for the finale. If Unchained didnt seem like an event or an instant classic like its immediate predecessor, it confirmed Cash was still a vital artist with plenty of life in him, no mean feat for a man of 64 whod been making records for more than 40 years. ~ Mark Deming