Carryin' On With Johnny Cash & June Carter - Johnny Cash

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Reviewed by Jennifer Webb

Carryin' On with Johnny Cash and June Carter, (also known as Jackson), was originally released in September of 1967 and contains two songs written by Ray Charles ("I Got A Woman" and "What'd I Say"). Another famous writer with a song on this album is Bob Dylan with "It Ain't Me, Babe." Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash wrote three ("Shantytown," "Oh What A Good Thing We Had," and "You'll Be Alright,") while Johnny composed two on his own ("No, No, No," and "The Wind Changes."

You have not heard a fun Country duet song until you have listened to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash sing together, because this couple has charisma individually as well as together, and this fact is proven on "Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man." The man threatens to leave his "big mouth woman" but she says he is not leaving without her - he is not getting away that easily because she thinks they can work out their problem.

"I Got A Woman," is about how the lady across town loves her man so much that she saves all of her lovin' for the mornings that he visits her. He treats her right and he loves her because "she knows her place is in the home," while she loves him because he is good to her and is her "big man."

"Jackson" is my all-time favorite Johnny and June song because the opening lines really do make the song with lyrics like: "We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout. We've been talking about Jackson, ever since the fire went out." Both of them are tired of where their marriage is so they decide they want to go out to the city and the man wants to "mess around" and "teach the girls what to do," while the woman wants to flirt with all the guys and show her husband that he is not the only one that can go out and have some fun.

The couple reminisces and talks about all the good times they used to have in the slow tune, "Oh, What A Good Thing We Had." Whether it was the long wait for their Wedding Day, walks by the river, or going out for a picnic, they realize their relationship is over, but at least they will always have the memories to help them make it through the rough spots of breaking up.

"No, No, No" is one of those classic duets where the girl comes from a wealthy family and the man comes from the poor walk of life and he wishes to marry her. He knows the girl's father said to say "No" if he ever asked her to marry him, and she says that he was right about that and she would get into trouble if her father found out about kissing him but she just cannot bring it to herself to say no to anything her love says.

"What'd I Say," written by Ray Charles, really has a late sixties Rock & Roll sound to it which really sounds great and stands out from the other cuts on Carryin' On. The man says that his hunny is "so fine" and since he does not think she is listening, he asks "what'd I say?" and she replies, "Yeah, I'm so fine!"

Sometimes when you hear couples sing songs together, they lack a certain "spark," but that is not the case with Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash. You can hear the love in every aspect of the songs, and the attitude in what they ad-lib at the very end of it only proves that they are so comfortable with each other that they can say anything and have it sound perfectly fit together.

Song List:

1. Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man
2. Shantytown
3. It Ain't Me, Babe
4. Fast Boat To Sydney
5. Pack Up Your Sorrows
6. I Got A Woman
7. Jackson
8. Oh, What A Good Thing We Had
9. You'll Be All Right
10. No, No, No
11. What'd I Say
12. Wind Changes
13. From Sea To Shining Sea