Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around (2xLP)

Johnny Cash’s American IV: The Man Comes Around is a deeply resonant album that cements his late-career revival. Released in 2002 as the final studio album issued during his lifetime, it blends three original compositions including the striking title track with a powerful selection of covers ranging from Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” to Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Produced by Rick Rubin, the record is marked by sparse arrangements—sometimes just guitar, voice, and bare acoustics—that foreground Cash’s weathered, honest baritone. The emotional weight of age, mortality, and faith interweave with every song, creating an album that feels both reflective and resolute.

Among its many strengths are the way Cash transforms each cover into something distinctively his own, the raw yet controlled vocal delivery, and the sense of intimacy the production creates. On the title track, for instance, Cash’s own songwriting—laden with biblical imagery—rises to meet the grandeur of the themes he’s tackling. Even in his frailty, there is clarity, purpose, and a stubborn vitality. This album doesn’t shy away from sorrow or decay, but it also doesn’t collapse under them. It offers moments of beauty and redemption that linger long after the final notes.

Reviews:

“The Cash-penned ‘The Man Comes Around’ is an epic tale of apocalypse, interpreting Revelations with uplifting exuberance. Restraint, resignation, and a hope of peace pervade the prophetic imagery.” – Pitchfork

“Considering his deteriorating health, it’s amazing Johnny Cash is even able to record these days, which may ultimately explain the elegant, austere beauty of The Man Comes Around.” – The Austin Chronicle