"American VI: Ain't No Grave" is the final release of Johnny Cash material from the much heralded American Recording Series produced by Rick Rubin. Each of the recordings has featured stripped down covers and a few originals which did an amazing job in reinventing Johnny Cash's career. While Cash didn't necessarily need to be reinvented, these new recordings did their purpose and served to reintroduce Cash to a new audience.
While this album is not as good as American II or American VI, there is a vibe in this album that makes it stand out completely differently. Perhaps the album's content, featuring very dark vocals on mortality and redemption, is amplified due to its posthumous release. The opening title track stands as arguably one of the best recordings of the entire series. The cover of the Hawaiian classic Aloha Oe, placed at the end of the album, is as fitting a finale to an album i've ever heard. Also standing out on the album is the cover of Sheryl Crow's Redemption Song and the cover of the Sons Of the Pioneers' cowboy classic Cool Water.
Unlike other posthumuous releases, which compile B-Sides and discarded material, this release truly represents the final recordings of the late great Johnny Cash. We should all be thankful to be able to hear one last set of recordings from him. Highly recommended!
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