Pitchfork

Unchained like a rabid animal? Hmm. More like an old dog that's not going to hurt anyone. Shit, if I had an old dog with the wisdom and spirituality of Johnny Cash, it could go wherever the hell it wanted.

Cash is the king of classic country, the true workin' man's music. The strange part is, Cash is getting pretty damn hip in his old age. The opening track on this disc is a cover of Beck's "Rowboat", a terrific number off Stereopathetic Soul Manure. Cash also did us some nice renditions of Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage" and Tom Petty's "Southern Accents". And speaking of Tom Petty (a king himself, of classic rock), he and the Heartbreakers act as Cash's backing band on this record.

So, I came. It's over and done with, and all I've got to show for it is a sticky Cash compact disc with some floor-yer-ass, old-style country jams digitally embedded in the plastic. It's all good. Except "One Rose (That's Left in My Heart)."