Johnny Cash
Bootleg Vol II
Sony Legacy
www.legacyrecordings.com
By George W. Harris

Yeah, I know I’m covering a lot of country and bluegrass lately, but
lemme tell ya, Johnny Cash was a force to be reckoned with, and he has
a few things to teach jazz singers. Besides, one of the reasons I
initially got into jazz was because when I’d listen to Basie, Ellington
or Goodman recordings from nightclubs in the 30s, I could essentially
time travel to the Depression. Here, with recordings from the studio
and radio in the 50s and 60s, you can be transplanted to Memphis or
Nashville before the sanitation process.

If nothing else, Cash had the voice and veritas that KNEW HOW TO TELL A
STORY. When he sings “All Over Again” or “Walk The Line” (on a series
of riveting demos), you believe him. The local radio program from 1955
on KWEM in Memphis is like a Smithsonian time capsule, complete with
advertisements, but also including some passionate preaching on
“Belshazzar” as well as good old fashioned swing on “Luther’s Boogie.”
If any living singer could sound as convincing as Cash on the demos
that include “You’re My Baby” or “When I Think Of You” he’d take over
the music industry. You just want to hear every word this guy says.

The second disc focuses on the 60s, and while there are some dated
sounding vocals, and the sound is a bit more pasteurized, the neck
gripping chock hold of Cash is still present, as on ”Five Minutes To
Live” and “One Too Many Mornings.” He sings like a man who’s walking
with a limp, who’s seen sin as well as redemption and forgiveness.
Nothing slick or germ-free here. Lots of lessons to learn, not just in
the voice, but in the delivery. As the old song goes, “It’s not
what’cha say, but the way that’cha say it. Absolutely essential and
transforming.