After 1994's
American Recordings
revitalized
Johnny Cash
's career, he and producer
Rick Rubin
had to come up with an encore, and in some respects 1996's
Unchained
was the sort of album many were expecting
to be. Instead of the solo acoustic approach of
,
paired
Cash
with a noted rock band
Rubin
had worked with in the past --
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
, whose roots-conscious style and Southern heritage would seemingly make them compatible with the Man in Black. There's no arguing that
Petty
and his band sound fully committed on
and deliver uniformly heartfelt and expert performances. However, part of what made
so effective was the opportunity to hear
's emotionally forceful vocals with only the most minimal accompaniment, and as good as
the Heartbreakers
are, in their presence
sounds a bit more restrained and less willing to push himself. Also, while having
cover
Glenn Danzig
's
"Thirteen"
worked unexpectedly well on
, taking on
Beck
and
Soundgarden
doesn't fare nearly as well here, and
's version of
"Memories Are Made of This"
may have been a better match in theory, but it doesn't quite make it in practice. But there are more than a few triumphant moments on this disc, including inspired recuts of
"Country Boy"
"Mean Eyed Cat,"
a dignified and deeply felt interpretation of
"Southern Accents,"
and a rollicking tear through
"I've Been Everywhere"
for the finale. If
didn't seem like an event or an instant classic like its immediate predecessor, it confirmed
was still a vital artist with plenty of life in him, no mean feat for a man of 64 who'd been making records for more than 40 years. ~ Mark Deming