Johnny Cash, “Cash: Ultimate Gospel”
GOSPEL|Columbia, released today
When Johnny Cash auditioned for Sun Records boss Sam Phillips, he played a gospel song he’d written, “Belshazzar,” to woo the recording icon who had just made a star out of Elvis Presley.
“We can’t sell gospel records,” Phillips told Cash. Cash returned a few weeks later with some rock ‘n’ roll, and Phillips was singing a different tune. But as the liner notes in this collection remind us, “Johnny Cash never forgot he was a gospel singer.”
This collection of 24 songs recorded from 1957-81 is only a small slice of Cash’s gospel recordings, but it includes some of the most memorable – including the Sun-recorded “Belshazzar,” a celebratory “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” a swinging “My Ship Will Sail” and a densely orchestrated “Amazing Grace.”
Cash’s authoritative baritone is the ideal vehicle for many of these songs, the self-penned tunes and traditionals. Some tracks from the 1981 sessions – including “How Great Thou Art” and “It’s No Secret (What God Can Do)” – lack the rudimentary charm of his earlier material. Still, this is the ideal soundtrack for a sunny Sunday brunch. |Ricardo Baca
The Corrs, “Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection”
ADULT CONTEMPORARY|Atlantic/Rhino, released today
It’s tempting to dismiss the Corrs as shiny, Irish-tinged pop that breaks as much ground as a plastic shovel. The members (three sisters and a brother) look like robot supermodels. The group got its start playing sporting events and opening for Celine Dion.
But it takes more than a cynical eye to recognize the reasons for the Corrs’ success. The ability to tap the same rich vein of adult contemporary as Celine Dion requires real vocal and instrumental talent. Never mind that in the Corrs’ hands, a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” sounds shockingly neutered, or that the group’s Celtic influences are often relegated to tinkling chimes during the chorus.
“Dreams,” a greatest hits compilation, contains guest appearances from Bono (“When the Stars Go Blue”), remixes of hit singles and live acoustic recordings. While the disc gets better as it progresses, particularly when the group reaches past clichéd lyrics and production (“Only When I Sleep”), most tracks are as predictable as a TV dinner. Whether that’s a good thing depends on your musical appetite. |John Wenzel
The Photo Atlas, “No, Not Me, Never”
DANCE-PUNK|Morning After/Stolen Transmission, released March 6
The Photo Atlas shapes its rock ‘n’ roll out of utter disdain and glorious paranoia. The Denver band’s riffs are sharp enough to cut, and singer Alan Andrews’ voice is known to drive the kids into a dance-floor frenzy.
This dance-punk band is hardly subtle. There are elements of At the Drive In and the Faint in there, thus securing the proven fact that you can dance to nearly every song on “No, Not Me, Never,” which is basically a rerelease with new material for the band’s debut on Stolen Transmission.
But these songs don’t quite give themselves over to you that easily. You have to work a little, something you learn once you make it past the standout tracks “Light and Noise” and “The Walls Have Eyes” and discover the brilliance of “Red Orange Yellow” and “Handshake Heart Attack.” |Ricardo Baca
Other releases today:
Modest Mouse, “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” (Epic) Early reviews for this follow-up to Modest Mouse’s breakthrough peg it as a denser but equally weird slab of guitar-driven indie rock.
James Morrison, “Undiscovered” (Interscope) With his smooth, white-soul vocals, Morrison aims for the James Blunt crowd on his radio-ready debut.
