Roots & Branches

If you liked the film "Walk the Line" and want to get a Johnny Cash's influences in his music, then this is a good collection. It contains songs he covered or wrote for others, which I enjoyed. Also, any collection that has Kris Kristofferson singing "Sunday Morning Coming Down" is a good deal.

"Johnny Cash: Roots and Branches" beautifully self-actualizes. "Artists, songs & recordings that inspired the legend of Johnny Cash" is an accurate subtitle. This is an extremely eclectic blend of Americana. For the average Cash fan, this collection packs multiple epiphanies. "Roots and Branches" will rewrite how many think about the song writing credits of songs Johnny Cash played so often. The first couple songs feature the roots. Gospel kicks the collection off with music by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Jimmie Davis. In the "Cash" biography, Johnny writes about how Jimmie Davis would be in his desert island music collection. One of the first bomb shells on this collection is the inclusion of Gordon Jenkins' sultry 'Crescent City Blues.' At first, this seems to be a quirky jazz age adaptation of 'Folsom Prison Blues.' Instead of wanting to leave Folsom, singer Beverly Mahr wants to get out of New Orleans and become more worldly. The epiphany is that Jenkin's version was actually released first. Johnny Cash's 1956 hit combined content from the "Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison" film with Gordon Jenkins' song structure. Lyrically, musically and emotionally, much of the song was lifted. Despite such generous borrowing, Cash didn't seek permission and reached a settlement only after the song became a hit. Warren Smith and Roy Orbison provide the vintage rockabilly music. Country is represented by Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams. Another great moment of realization comes with 'Love's Ring of Fire.' This song was written and performed by Anita Carter and Merle Kilgore. Six months later, Johnny Cash would record a reworked version simply entitled 'Ring of Fire.' This beautiful 'rough draft' adds to our appreciation of the evolution of Johnny Cash's music. 'The Ballad of Ira Hayes' is another of those songs that many Cash fans would erroneously attribute to Johnny. Performed as a folk song, this collection plays the original Pater LaFarge rendition. One of the strongest songs in the collection is the 1947 cowboy version of 'Cocaine Blues.' The connection between the featured songs and Johnny Cash is not always apparent. Fortunately, the liner notes are well-written and explain the relationship between each track and the Man in Black. As with "The Roots of Johnny Cash," the cynic would describe "Roots and Branches" as a commercial effort to 'cash in' on the success of the "Walk the Line" film. A more balanced opinion would first appreciate that even out of context, this is a beautiful collection of music. Second, this disc sheds light onto the creative process behind Johnny Cash's music. "Johnny Cash: Roots and Branches" is an essential tool in fully understanding and appreciating the Man in Black.

Johnny Cash sings from the heart and uses his experience through life brought in song.