| Press On - June Carter Cash | |
|
Reviewed by Kathy Coleman
June Carter was born to be a legend. Daughter of Mother Maybelle Carter, raised in the
unbroken circle of the Carter Family, singing and playing, she couldn't have ever been anything
else. Of course, she compounded that legendary status by marrying Johnny Cash and adding his
name to hers -- you couldn't ask for a better country music pedigree.
With Press On, June gives us her sweet soprano, as clear as a mountain stream, her glorious autoharp playing, and a group of musicians anyone would envy on a collection of songs both old and new, her own and favorites by others. Here you'll find June's own rendition of the
song she penned long ago that became a country classic recorded by her husband, "Ring of Fire." She also gives us delightful romps with "Gatsy's Restaurant" and the wonderfully fun "Tiffany Anastasia Lowe" (a tribute of sorts to Quentin Tarantino). She sings with simple elegance of her love for husband and family, and faith in God.
In plain words, she gives us June: that magnificent woman who has been the stalwart steel behind country's "Man in Black" who is a marvel in her own right. Her songs are at turns deeply touching, riotously funny, cheerful, sorrowful, or moving. When husband John R. joins her for "The Far Side Banks of Jordan," I found myself crying... and then feeling better, as Johnny promises in the dialog at the beginning of the song. She also takes us down her own personal memory lane with "I Used To Be Somebody," a glimpse into what she calls her "rock and roll years." She also gives us a haunting rendition of the song "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore," which Johnny Cash recorded on the album Silver. (In the notes for Silver, this song is credited to J. Ritchie; in the notes for Press On, the song is credited to T. Hall.) June's voice doesn't invoke the feeling of being in a coal mine as Johnny's gravely tones do, but the sound of the Appalachian hollers echoes so truly in her voice it maintains an eerie beauty, the flip side of the coin. She concludes the album with a sweet solo rendition of the Carter Family standard, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken," saying farewell to Mother Maybelle, an influence who has never really left her.
The liner notes are filled with June's gentle homilies, some fabulous family pictures, and a touching dedication to Mother Maybelle Carter. (The only complaint I have, if any at all, is that these notes are written in a fancy font in brown-on-light-brown and blue-on-grey, and they are VERY hard to read makes me yearn for the days of full-size album art!)
It's a grand thing that Dualtone has re-issued this wonderful album (originally released in 1999, after a very trying year for the Carter-Cash family). June is a formidable songwriter and unsurpassed at playing that autoharp. She has a beautiful voice and these songs are a true delight to listen to. It's as real as the mountains, this living connection to the great Carter family, with so much heart and soul it's both uplifting and heartbreaking. Listen and enjoy.
Song List:
Album cover, used with permission of DualTone
Click on the button below to find the best price for this CD and purchase it from a retailer on the Internet.
