The title
Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams and Other Favorite Tunes
is slightly misleading, as
Cash
only covered four of
Hank
's classics on the original LP release, augmenting them with eight of his own. The bonus-tracks edition adds another two
songs (and three more of
's originals), making the theme a little more complete. Hearing one of
country
music's greatest artists performing the songs of another of
music's greatest artists is a real treat, and
's interpretations combine his own deep, soulful voice with
Williams
' terrific phrasing and songwriting perfectly. The other tracks on the disc read like a greatest-hits compilation, which is fine, but raises the question of who this is marketed toward. People looking to start their
Man in Black
collection won't be too interested in his
cover tunes, and hardcore
-o-philes already have these versions of
"Folsom Prison Blues,"
"I Walk the Line,"
and
"Come In Stranger."
No matter what, it's a fun listen, proving that
could take any song, no matter how familiar the original was, and make it his own. ~ Zac Johnson