June Carter Cash
Press On

(Dualtone)

First Appeared at The Music Box, June 2003, Volume 10, #6

Written by John Metzger

In 1999, June Carter Cash released Press On, her first album in nearly 25 years, and rightfully took home a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album. Here it is, four years later, and the album is out of print. Not that there aren’t some Grammy Award-winning releases that deserve such a fate. Remember Rick Springfield, Survivor, Michael Bolton, or Milli Vinilli? But this was an album by June Carter Cash — such is the ridiculous nature of the music business. Fortunately, Dualtone has come to the rescue to save this magnificent gem from extinction.

Press On captures Cash in such a relaxed and easy-going way that it’s like eavesdropping on a jam session held on the back porch of her country home. Fiddle, autoharp, mandolin, dobro, and guitar provide a gentle, beautiful foundation for Carter as she sings songs she performed with her mother, a new rendition of her hit Ring of Fire, several Carter Family standards, and a duet with her husband — yes, that would be Johnny Cash. Each tune is turned from its delicate, tradition-bound arrangement into a powerful statement on life and mortality, and the autobiographical nature of the selections only adds to the warmth and personal intimacy that are so lovingly conveyed.

Press On is available
from Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!

Ratings

1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2003 The Music Box