American III: Solitary Man

All right…first, we have a confession to make: We’d probably buy an album of Johnny Cash belching his favorite nursery rhymes. And not just because he practically invented cool, but because if anyone could belch nursery rhymes with style, character, and a hint of menace, it’s Cash. His barrel-chested boom of a voice is an American treasure, and on Solitary Man (his third collaboration with rock producer Rick Rubin), he lets it loose on both freshly penned gems and suitably dark covers. Cash’s current battle with a Parkinson’s-like affliction lends extra gravity to his versions of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” and U2’s “One.” In fact, the album as a whole is haunted by his latest demon, but it’s clear that The Man In Black ain’t goin’ down without a fight.