Johnny Cash

Unchained (American)
by Lex Marburger

It’s true, Country music is rarely reviewed here in Lollipop, but there’s one exception. I’m talking about the Man In Black, the Original Gangster… Johnny Cash. This guy has been around longer than anybody, and hits harder than any punk-ass motherfucker ever has. Hey, the man obviously deserves some respect, and he gets it from better people than you. Look, Beck wrote a tune on Unchained, as did Chris Cornell. When this guy gets admiration from both sides of the alternative ballpark, shouldn’t we all take a listen? He’ll be hard to take if you aren’t acquainted with Country/Western, but keep trying. His cheese is a natural, obligatory process that reflects his past. Step beyond the silly progressions and the trite lyrics, and tread in the heart of the voice, the one element that separates the men from the posterboys. He’s lived harder and played faster than any other man around the joint. He’s gone through more prison sentences than Coolio, and he’s the one who “Shot a man in Reno/Just to watch him die.” He likes his bourbon, and he likes his Jesus. He’s tough. Shit, Cobain was half the lyricist Cash is, and he wasted himself decades too soon. I mean, who else could could have come up with a song like “Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea” and get away with it being that corny? He out-melodramaticizes Bowie, and he out performs any guy on the Las Vegas circut. And when he rocks, he comes out with energy that’s held onto. You get the feeling that he’s holding back, that if he really let loose, he’d blow you out of your seat, never to come back. Johnny Cash. There is no substitute.