The American Recordings

In 1993 Rick Rubin approached Johnny Cash to sign him to his record label, Def Jam Records, giving him full control over the process. Rubin told him he could sit down by himself with a guitar and sing any song he wanted, so that's just what Johnny Cash did. This landmark record led to an incredible string of six records by Cash from the early '90s to 2010 with the posthumous record Ain't No Grave. After the first album, he was backed by a band, but they still maintained the minimal style of the first record. Many of the songs on the records are covers, sometimes accompanied by the original songwriter and often better renditions ("Thirteen", originally by Danzig, for example).

I've recently made it a mission to collect all of the American Recordings albums on CD. While his older recordings are interesting and were well placed in their time (e.g. I Walk the Line, At Folsom Prison, At San Quentin), I've found that I prefer the more minimal style of the American recordings.

These are some of my favorite songs from the American sessions. The list would be shorter if I just listed the ones I don't like as much.