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Various Artists
Johnny's Blues: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
NorthernBlues
By Danté Dominick
 Tribute
albums provide reviewers the opportunity to wax poetic on revered
heroes, salivating to add their voice to any discussion on a
figure of enormous stature. I, however, am under the predilection
that if you are not aware of Johnny Cash's significance than
you A) live in a "rat-hole" with foreign dictators
or B) are yet too young to press 'play.' Either way, this space
will be dedicated to discussing this compilation (mostly anyway,
tangents are sure to abound) and not Cash's legacy for the desperately
ignorant.
We are presented a collection of 13 songs either written or
popularized by The Man In Black. The blues theme is perfect for
Cash's material. Before the hat-act era of glitz and headset
microphones, country music was essentially the white man's blues.
Starting with a good idea, Johnny's Blues is made better
by incorporating a wide spectrum of styles that are deemed "blues."
Jump, swing, boogie-woogie, folk, country, acoustic and rockin'
are all idioms that can be followed by the term "blues"
and they all make an appearance as well as a few surprises.
Toronto's NorthernBlues is the label responsible for this
offering, produced by Canadian Colin Linden (who also provides
a great rendition of "Big River"), and I can hear the
gasping already. How does a bunch of Canucks get the nerve to,
not only touch an American icon, but to do so with a purely American
form of expression? First off, apparently the blues, though sprouting
from the U.S. South, is a feeling that is loyal to no flag or
credence. Second, keep in mind that it is our Canadian neighbor
that sprouted the greatest Americana band of all time. "What
band?" The same Band that brought us Virgil Caine, W.S.
Walcott's Medicine Show and King Harvest. If you're still confused,
take a load off Fanny and get together with the folks unfamiliar
with Johnny Cash -- you have a lot of catching up to do.
A rather scorching "Train of Love" from Paul Reddick
(good God, another Canadian) kicks off the tribute. Harmonica,
electric dobro and a solid backbeat fuel Reddick's fine delivery
that prepares us for "Get Rhythm" at the hands of Clarence
"Gatemouth" Brown. Approaching 80, Gatemouth is deserving
of a few tribute albums of his own. Brown has proven the virtuoso
in big-band, fiddle music, stomp blues and whatever else ever
since his uninvited 1947 debut in Houston where he walked on
stage during a T-Bone Walker performance, picked up a guitar
and just started playing. Gate's six-string snaps, quips and
tweaks the living hell out of this swingin' number that is a
perfect match for Cash's statement, "get rhythm when you
get the blues." Do so and you're sure to dance the blues
away. If you're not tapping, snapping or all-out shimmying in
some manner during this cut you might want to check for a pulse.
Maria Muldaur tones things down a bit with a smoky "Walking
the Blues" accompanied only by acoustic guitar. Del Rey's
exquisite delta style matches Muldaur's vocals the kind
of vocals that have you closing your eyes and swaying your head
side to side. If she doesn't have a scotch on the rocks in one
hand while singing, someone get her one.
The compilation continues to change things up with different
styles and tempos. Some with scarce resemblance to JC and others
a perfect match. It should come as no surprise that Sleepy LaBeef
regularly includes Cash tunes in his repertoire. LaBeef's low
register voice and shufflin' guitar complete with bass runs provides
the cut that most resembles a Cash performance. LaBeef made a
terrific decision to do one of Cash's humorous numbers, "Frankie's
Man Johnny." Cash had a biting sense of humor and penned
some truly witty tales, but this side of the man is usually forgotten
these days. Hard to believe, but these days many folks first
taste of Cash might be the arresting video for his cover of Nine
Inch Nails' "Hurt." It is a haunting image and so it
is nice to see a nod to his whimsical side.
The most Cashesque tune is followed by Corey Harris' eclectic,
Rastafari version of "Redemption." A truly unique treatment
that is a powerful, almost theatrical, take on the fickle life
between heaven and hell. Equally compelling is Kevin Breit's
"bluesy mariachi style" approach to "Send A Picture
of Mother." Breit plays steel guitar, bass clarinet, mandolin,
mandola, mandocello and electric slide guitar. Yes, there is
some mariachi trumpet in there as well as fiddle and percussion.
Sound odd? Even odder, it is an instrumental. It would take a
magnificent arrangement to pull of a Johnny Cash tune sans lyrics
and a magnificent arrangement it is. Simply put, beautiful. Says
Breit, "the words haunt and touch me deeply. If only I could
sing."
Of course, every tribute album has some instances of, "oooooh,
don't do that," and Johnny's Blues is no exception.
Most glaring: sitar on "Long Black Veil." It doesn't
work -- at all. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings almost provide the
best "Folsom Prison Blues" cover in recent memory with
a gritty dirge that breathes new attitude into a classic. The
decision to submit the crash cymbal to delay and echo effects
at the end of each 12-bar cycle is questionable, but forgivable
since they are laying down the freshest rendition of an oft-covered
song and everything else in this version is kicking ass. However,
halfway through they decided to loop this digitally modified
cymbal and it creates one of the most annoying sounds ever put
to record. There is a piano solo going on underneath but it is
barely audible. The noise lasts a full 40 seconds and turns the
track from a highlight of the collection to a "skipper."
The highlights far outnumber the low points, though, making
Johnny's Blues very worthwhile. Tribute albums sometimes
prove interesting but not worth repeated listens. It's tricky.
To compile a collection of similarly styled peers providing straight
ahead covers would be, well, kind of pointless. But the opposite
tactic of utilizing artists whose style is worlds apart from
the subject, a ploy record labels seem to love, usually provides
a raised eyebrow and a perfunctory single listen then banishment
to the bottom of your shelf. I'm waiting for "Ugly Kid Joe
does Barry Manilow" or "Arlo Guthrie Meets the Flying-V."
NorthernBlues tactfully tread a perfect balance between these
two poles. Equally pleasing was the selection of both relatively
unfamiliar artists with some of the blues' bigger names, including
Chris Thomas King -- blending Cash and Leadbelly interpretations
of the traditional "Rock Island Line" -- and Alvin
Youngblood Hart who, accompanied only by his own guitar, provides
a gorgeous "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" -- a Kris Kristofferson
tune Cash had a hit with in the 70s that has to rank as one of
the best songs ever written.
For a perfect ending, an ending that in fact suggests there
is no end, is Mavis Staples turn for "Will the Circle Be
Unbroken," a song she and her family sang with the Cash
family on the Opry stage. Music is an expression of spirit and
neither force is apt to fade away. One man's music has inspired
countless millions of souls, all who will make their own contribution
to this game we call civilization. To that effect, this album
serves to answer that question; yes, the circle will remain unbroken.
www.northernblues.com
dominick-at-rockzilla.net
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