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Various Artists - Rating:
- Release Date: September 17, 2002
- Type: Collection (various artists)
- Genre: Country
Review
Few artists deserve tribute more than Johnny Cash, and none pose a greater challenge to those who would offer their homage. The problem is that his sound has been pounded so deep into America's soul that it's almost impossible to play his music without lapsing into imitation -- and those who try to avoid that trap can sound a little misguided. Examples of both approaches abound throughout Dressed in Black, though even the bravest performers generally sing to a tack bass rhythm accompanied by those menacing low guitar licks that Cash patented long ago. Some do a pretty good job of evoking Cash, especially James Intveld, whose rendition of "Folsom Prison Blues" comes darn close to the original, and Chuck Mead on "There You Go." Damon Bramblett also has Cash's phrasing down; the fact that his voice is pitched about an octave higher, along with his Maybelle Carter style on guitar, makes "I'm Gonna Sit on the Porch and Pick On My Old Guitar" a special treat. Then there's Billy Burnette, whose playing comes closest to the essence of Cash but whose vocals completely miss the squint-eyed macho quality that "Ring of Fire" requires. Rarest of all are those artists who have found their own voice yet use this format to acknowledge their forebears; none does this more persuasively than Dale Watson, who turns "I Walk the Line" into something both powerful and original -- the ultimate tribute that anyone can pay to the real icons in this business. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music GuideTracks
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Wreck of the Old '97 (Lyrics) | Norman Blake, Johnny Cash, |
Hank Williams III | (2:58) |
| Cry Cry Cry | Johnny Cash | Robbie Fulks | (2:39) |
| Ballad of a Teenage Queen | Jack Clement | Rodney Crowell | (3:11) |
| I Guess Things Happen That Way | Jack Clement | Raul Malo | (3:07) |
| There You Go | Johnny Cash | (2:18) | |
| Get Rhythm (Lyrics) | Johnny Cash | Reverend Horton Heat | (2:29) |
| Pack up Your Sorrows | Richard Fariña, |
Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison | (2:27) |
| Ring of Fire | June Carter Cash, Merle Kilgore | Billy Burnette | (3:49) |
| Luther Played the Boogie | Johnny Cash | Redd Volkaert | (2:16) |
| Big River | Johnny Cash | Rosie Flores | (2:36) |
| Folsom Prison Blues | Johnny Cash | James Intveld | (3:09) |
| I Still Miss Someone | Johnny Cash, |
(2:51) | |
| I'm Gonna Sit on the Porch and Pick on My Old Guitar | Johnny Cash | Damon Bramblett | (2:43) |
| I Walk the Line | Johnny Cash | Dale Watson | (2:54) |
| Train of Love | Johnny Cash | (3:38) | |
| Straight A's in Love | Johnny Cash | Eddie Angel | (2:08) |
| Jackson | Billy Edd Wheeler, |
Mandy Barnett, |
(2:51) |
| Flesh and Blood | Johnny Cash | Chris Knight | (3:07) |
