Track Listing

1. The Man Comes Around
2. Hurt
3. Give My Love To Rose
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water
5. I Hung My Head
6. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
7. Personal Jesus
8. In My Life
9. Sam Hall
10. Danny Boy
11. Desperado
12. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
13. Tear Stained Letter
14. Streets Of Laredo
15. We'll Meet Again
16. Big Iron (UK Bonus Track)
17. Hurt (UK Bonus Video)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #383 in Music
• Released on: 2003-04-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Running time: 60 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
On first thought, the idea of the Man in Black recording such covers as "Bridge over Troubled Water", "Danny Boy" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" might seem odd, even for an artist who's been able to put his personal stamp on just about everything. But The Man Comes Around, which also draws on Cash's original songs as well as those by Nine Inch Nails ("Hurt"), Sting ("I Hung My Head") and Depeche Mode ("Personal Jesus"), may be one of the most autobiographical albums of the 70-year-old singer-songwriter's career. Nearly every tune seems chosen to afford the ailing giant of popular music a chance to reflect on his life, and look ahead to what's around the corner. From the opening track--Cash's own "The Man Comes Around", filled with frightening images of Armageddon--the album, produced by Rick Rubin, advances a quiet power and pathos, built around spare arrangements and unflinching honesty in performance and subject. In 15 songs, Cash moves through dark, haunted meditations on death and destruction, poignant farewells, testaments to everlasting love, and hopeful salutes to redemption. He sounds as if he means every word, his baritone-bass, frequently frayed and ravaged, taking on a weary beauty. By the time he gets to the Beatles' "In My Life", you'll very nearly cry. Go ahead. He sounds as if he's about to, too. --Alanna Nash

CD Description
This is the fourth and last album from the Rick Rubin produced 'American' sessions to be released before Cash's death in September 2003. The album features a collection of covers including Beatles' 'In My Life' and Depeche Mode's 'PersonalJesus' as well as original tracks penned by Cash himself. The single 'Hurt', a cover of the Nine Inch Nails classic is also included.

Customer Reviews

Truly one of the great albums of all time.
When Johnny Cash passed away recently the music world wept. And with good reason. One of the pillars of integrity and greatest songwriters of the last 50 years lost forever is a sad thing indeed. His American Recordings cycle will forever stand out as one of the great recording cycles of all time, and the astonishing thing is that he completed them at a time of his life where he not only was discounted by most of the music establishment but also battled against illness for many years.

Like the other albums in the cycle, The Man Comes Around is a mix of his own songs, reworkings of his earlier materiel and carefully selected covers. The album starts off with the title track that surely must be one of the strongest songs in recent years with its old testament view of things to come. The whole album goes from strength to strength, but there is one real stand out tracks for me, this being his cover of Nine Inch Nails "Hurt". I am a fan of NIN, but this version blows the original out of the water. It is both powerful and moving and for me this is the standout musical moment of the last 5 years, it makes me want to cry every time i hear it. You NEED to own this album, amongst my 2000+ albums this is in the top 3. And i wonder if he did know something we didn't when he ended the album with "We'll meet again".

Truly a classic and an album that should be in every record collection. I can not recommend it enough.

Another great American Recording.
Johnny Cash has with his American Recordings finally found his place in the world of pop music. With his versions of more recent hits by artists like U2 and Nick Cave and re-recordings of some old songs he has brought country music to a new generation, whose knowledge of mr. Cash was limited to a version of "Ring of Fire" on a heavily discountet compilation CD.

"The Man Comes Around" sees Cash taking on "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails and "Personal Jesus" amongst others. Even a version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" ends up sounding remarkably fresh. The highlight of the album is the title track, where Cash describes the scene of Judgement Day, complete with Bible readings at beginning and end. That song alone, together with the massive acoustic build-up of "Hurt", makes the fourth American Recording a true masterpiece.

Thanks to The Man for Coming Around!
My rock/grunge/metal-loving teenagers introduced me to 'Hurt' last year. I have always preferred rock, metal, folk, soul, classical music to anything remotely Country & Western. I knew nothing of Johnny Cash but his early reputation. So I went to see 'Walk the Line' on the basis of that one song and its staggering video. The film itself proved inspirational too and I owe much to Joaquin Phoenix for that. My kids are clearly more broad-minded than I have ever been - the loss is mine. This CD has so much to give, such range and so much depth. I hope that anyone reading this will benefit from my mistake and discover the Man in Black sooner than I did!