American III: Solitary Man
Third album in Cash's American series, released in 2000.
American III: Solitary Man, Johnny Cash's sixty-sixth studio album, came out on October 17, 2000, through American Recordings. It stands as the third installment in his American series and the second-to-last studio album released while he was alive.
Cash's health took a turn for the worse between American II: Unchained and this album. He dealt with several illnesses and ended up hospitalized for pneumonia, which forced him to cut back on touring. The album reflects his response to that struggle, most clearly in his takes on Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" and U2's "One." Listeners can hear changes in Cash's voice caused by his health issues, especially compared to his earlier records. Writer Graeme Thomson described Solitary Man as an act of emotional preservation.
Three songs on the album had been recorded by Cash before. "Field of Diamonds" originally appeared with Waylon Jennings on their 1986 album Heroes. "Country Trash" first showed up on Cash's 1973 record Any Old Wind That Blows. "I'm Leavin' Now" was previously on his 1985 album Rainbow.
Critics mostly gave the album positive reviews. On Metacritic, it scored an 80 out of 100 from 15 reviews, meaning "generally favorable reviews." David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave it an A, noting that while Cash's voice rarely sounded darker, producer Rick Rubin framed it with harmonies and church organs to create an "austere but welcoming" album. Sonicnet praised Cash's ability to strip away previous associations from songs and reveal their core. Billboard said the album might lack the immediate impact of its predecessors but was still a masterpiece. Splendid remarked that while the covers draw attention, Cash's own material steals the show. Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times called it arguably the strongest of the American series, highlighting Cash's rendition of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "The Mercy Seat" as the best performance and most inspired cover choice.
Rolling Stone gave a mixed review, criticizing Rick Rubin's production as too timid, with sparse arrangements of guitar, fiddle, and accordion that felt like a "severe meal" one is forced to consider tasteful. The A.V. Club compared it to Neil Young's Silver and Gold, calling it a thematically empty placeholder, unlike the devotion and doubt of American Recordings.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Johnny Cash
- Released
- October 17, 2000
- Recorded
- 2000
- Genre
- Country
- Length
- 42:15
- Label
- American
- Producer
- Rick Rubin; John Carter Cash
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Between American II: Unchained and American III: Solitary Man, Cash's health declined due to various ailments, and he was hospitalized for pneumonia. The illness forced him to curtail his touring. This album contained Cash's response to his illness, typified by a version of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down", as well as a version of U2's "One". Changes to Cash's voice due to his health problems are noticeable on most tracks when compared to his most recent preceding albums. Graeme Thomson characterized "Solitary Man" as an act of emotional preservation.
Three songs featured on the album had previously been recorded by Cash. "Field of Diamonds" was previously recorded with Waylon Jennings for their 1986 album Heroes. "Country Trash" was previously recorded for his 1973 album Any Old Wind That Blows. "I'm Leavin' Now" was previously recorded for his 1985 album Rainbow.
Reader's Guide
American III: Solitary Man received mostly positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 80, indicating generally favorable reviews, based on 15 reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave the album a Grade A rating, describing it as "a dark angel beauty of an album that's austere but welcoming." Billboard said the album "may lack the immediate impact of its predecessors but is no less a masterpiece." Splendid noted that "the covers on American III will attract the majority of listener attention; Cash's own material steals the show." Jim DeRogatis of The Chicago Sun-Times wrote that it was "arguably the strongest of his American Recordings" with the series' "single best performance and most inspired cover choice via Cash's rendition of the Death Row anthem 'The Mercy Seat' by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds." Rolling Stone gave a mixed review, saying that "the onus here lies on the production… Rick Rubin's work is too timid." The A.V. Club said, "A loose, flat set of odds and ends, Solitary Man is merely a minor but endearing record." The Spin Cycle called the album "mixed, leaning at times to inadvertent novelty." The album peaked at number eleven on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart and at number 88 on the US Billboard 200.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Won't Back Down (with Tom Petty) | Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne | 2:09 |
| 2 | Solitary Man | Neil Diamond | 2:25 |
| 3 | That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) | Haven Gillespie, Beasley Smith | 2:35 |
| 4 | One | Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen | 3:53 |
| 5 | Nobody | Bert Williams | 3:14 |
| 6 | I See a Darkness (with Will Oldham) | Will Oldham | 3:42 |
| 7 | The Mercy Seat | Nick Cave, Mick Harvey | 4:35 |
| 8 | Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone) | David Allan Coe | 2:41 |
| 9 | Field of Diamonds | Johnny Cash, Jack Wesley Routh | 3:15 |
| 10 | Before My Time | Cash | 2:55 |
| 11 | Country Trash | Cash | 1:47 |
| 12 | Mary of the Wild Moor | Dennis Turner | 2:32 |
| 13 | I'm Leavin' Now (with Merle Haggard) | Cash | 3:07 |
| 14 | Wayfaring Stranger | Traditional | 3:19 |
| Total length | 42:15 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for the title track 'Solitary Man'.
- It was also nominated for the Academy of Country Music Award for Album of the Year.
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