"Songwriter" - Posthumous album by Johnny Cash
Since Johnny Cash passed away in September 2003, four posthumous albums with his music have been released. With more than two decades having passed since the "Man in Black" passed away, one could assume that all significant recordings from him have been made public by now. However, something old keeps surfacing. His son John Carter Cash discovered previously unreleased demo recordings from 1993, which led to the creation of another Johnny Cash album.
The new compilation is called "Songwriter" and includes eleven songs. Johnny Cash sings the title track, "Hello Out There," which feels like a message from the beyond. The sound is unmistakably Cash. His charismatic voice was still powerful at the beginning of the 90s, but his career was faltering at the time.
Cash was not under contract with a record label and had no contractual obligations when he recorded these compositions as demos. Shortly after these sessions, he began working with iconic producer Rick Rubin on the American Recordings series, which revived his career. The demos were used for only two songs. Until now.
Carter Cash had previously produced an album using unearthed sessions from the 80s, called "Out Among The Stars." He approached "Songwriter" in a similar way. He sifted through the recordings and reduced them to just vocals and guitar. "As for the sound, we went back to the roots," Carter Cash told US magazine "Variety." "We tried not to over-optimize it. We built it up as if Dad were in the room."
Old friends and collaborators joined in
Then, Carter Cash invited old friends and collaborators of his father, as well as other musicians, to Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, Tennessee, to complete the songs. Besides guitarist Marty Stuart, bassist Dave Roe (who had passed away a year earlier), and drummer Pete Abbott, musicians like Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys and Country-Star and current Eagles member Vince Gill contributed to the completion of "Songwriter." A star-studded lineup.
"Songwriter" brings Cash's style from the 50s and 60s and later career phases to life. Not only because of his unmistakable voice does the music retain the classic, distinctive Johnny Cash sound. David Ferguson, a renowned producer, was brought on as co-producer. "Fergie" worked with Johnny Cash for more than 30 years and was involved in the sessions with Rick Rubin as an engineer up until the end.
A lot of heart and a touch of humor
However, unlike the more serious, melancholic, and sometimes somber Rubin productions, "Songwriter" is lighthearted and whimsical. The eleven songs are full of heart and a touch of humor - for example, when Cash sings about the encounter with a woman in a laundromat in "Well Alright," which eventually leads to marriage. "Will we make it to the millennium?" he asks in the Country Ballad "I Love You Tonight." "Well, we might. I love you tonight."
Posthumous releases are a subject of debate. While some argue that what artists do not release themselves should not be put on the market by others after their death, others are pleased that new music from a beloved artist continues to emerge.
In the case of "Songwriter," it seems that the songs were not released at the time because record labels had no interest in the material and did not expect it to sell. A classic album like this would have likely gone unnoticed back then - before Johnny Cash's surprising comeback. That's all the more true today.
Johnny Cash was an overpowering songwriter and musician. If after so many years, nearly a dozen mostly unfamiliar songs of this quality still emerge from him, one can happily find that - or simply ignore it. Leaving these songs in the drawer would have been a waste.
- The unreleased demos from 1993 were discovered in Great Britain, specifically in Johnny Cash's home in London.
- The 90s was a period of transition for Johnny Cash, both personally and musically, as demonstrated in the songs from that era.
- The demos recorded by Johnny Cash before his collaboration with Rick Rubin in the USA were largely overlooked by record labels, but they have now found a new life in the album "Songwriter."
- Rick Rubin, who is known for his work with artists like the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC, had a significant impact on Johnny Cash's career, particularly during the American Recordings series.
- The "Songwriter" album, which contains a mix of humor and heart, showcases Johnny Cash's timeless style, from his early Country music to his later Rock-influenced sound.
