(December 2019) Episode 243 is JOHNNY CASH. If there were a Mount Rushmore of the Voices of America, he would be on it. I appreciate the independent, even rebellious, spirit of his long and storied career – resisting capture by corporate Nashville, collaborating with artists across genres (U2, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, etc.), exploring concept albums. I love his musical expression of a personal ideology that defied political categorization: respect for the forgotten/downtrodden/persecuted man (exemplified by “Man in Black” and “Bitter Tears”) – a rare wokeness for its time and his genre. But most of all his songs are just plain enjoyable (even though I’m not a fan of country music). This was a long one, at ~80 albums.
Favorite album: American Recordings
Favorite song: Man in Black
Favorite duet: If I Were A Carpenter (with June)
Worst album: The Rambler
Favorite Period: Sun recordings
Least favorite genre: gospel
Compared to expectations: same
Opus Project 