Songwriter (Johnny Cash album)
Posthumous album of Cash's 1993 demos with new overdubs.
Songwriter is the seventy-second studio album by Johnny Cash, released posthumously on June 28, 2024, through Mercury Nashville. The album comprises songs Cash recorded in 1993, with finished tracks featuring overdubs by additional musicians. Its lead single, "Well Alright", was released on April 23, 2024.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Johnny Cash
- Released
- June 28, 2024
- Recorded
- early 1993, with overdubs in 2023
- Studio
- LSI Studios (Nashville); Cash Cabin Studio (Hendersonville, Tennessee)
- Genre
- Country
- Length
- 30:53
- Label
- Mercury Nashville; UMe
- Producer
- Johnny Cash
- John Carter Cash
- Mike Daniel
- David R. Ferguson
- Josh Matas
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
Songwriter track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hello Out There | 3:03 |
| 2 | Spotlight | 2:47 |
| 3 | Drive On | 3:21 |
| 4 | I Love You Tonite | 3:20 |
| 5 | Have You Ever Been to Little Rock? | 2:43 |
| 6 | Well Alright | 2:12 |
| 7 | She Sang Sweet Baby James | 3:20 |
| 8 | Poor Valley Girl | 2:16 |
| 9 | Soldier Boy | 2:49 |
| 10 | Sing It Pretty Sue | 2:17 |
| 11 | Like a Soldier | 2:45 |
| Total length | 30:53 | |
2CD edition bonus disc – Icon
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Walk the Line | 2:33 | |
| 2 | The Night Hank Williams Came to Town (with Waylon Jennings) | Bobby Braddock, Charlie Williams | 3:24 |
| 3 | Sixteen Tons | Merle Travis | 2:46 |
| 4 | Long Black Veil | Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin | 3:14 |
| 5 | Cry! Cry! Cry! | 2:24 | |
| 6 | Guess Things Happen That Way | Jack Clement | 1:45 |
| 7 | Get Rhythm | 2:30 | |
| 8 | Ring of Fire | June Carter Cash, Merle Kilgore | 2:43 |
| 9 | Folsom Prison Blues | 2:44 | |
| 10 | Cat's in the Cradle | Harry Chapin, Sandy Chapin | 3:18 |
| 11 | Hey Porter | 2:20 | |
| 12 | Wanted Man | Bob Dylan, Cash | 2:52 |
Track listing from the source article.
Background
The album originated from songwriting demos recorded at LSI Studios in early 1993, when Cash was not signed to a label and before he met Rick Rubin. The songs were written over several decades: "Drive On" was recent; "Hello Out There" and "Poor Valley Girl" date to the late 1970s; and "Sing It Pretty, Sue" had appeared on Cash's 1962 album The Sound of Johnny Cash. The tapes were shelved when Cash instead made the American Recordings album with Rubin, though re-recordings of "Drive On" and "Like A Soldier" were used on that album. After rediscovering the demos, John Carter Cash and David "Fergie" Ferguson stripped them to Cash's vocals and guitar, then overdubbed new parts by a band that included Marty Stuart and David Roe. Original backing vocals by Waylon Jennings were retained.
Critical reception
Songwriter received positive reviews, with a Metacritic score of 77 out of 100 from nine reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic compared it to the posthumous release Out Among the Stars, calling Songwriter a marginally stronger set with bold, intertwining themes and praising the instrumentation rooted in Cash's pre-Rubin style. Liz Thomson at The Arts Desk noted that after the first two tracks the album has a much more retro sound than the American Recordings era, calling it a happy reminder of Cash's talent. Mojo was skeptical of the attempt on "Hello Out There" to put Cash in conversation with a future he never knew, but praised the rest of the album for allowing Cash's songs to star, concluding it reinforces the humanity of a star who could seem untouchable.
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