Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash

Dwight Yoakam | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 24, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00006GF1O
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,375 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, November 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash (Audio CD)

I purchased this cd at the same time as the other current Cash tribute, Dressed In Black, and I must say that this is the lesser of the two works by far. It seems to me that several of the "big names" on Kindred Spirits just plain go bust. Bob Dylan may be one of the greatest songwriters of all time, but his rendition of "Train of Love" is pathetic (tempo too slow, voice sounds like he swallowed a handful of gravel). Bruce Springsteen fares little better on "Give My Love To Rose", and don't even get me started on Keb' Mo'. I saw him on the CMT special about this cd and he claimed to have never heard "Folsum Prison Blues" before and that he was not familiar with Johnny Cash, but he did this because Marty Stuart wanted him to. So why was he included on a tribute to such a great man, when he obviously could care less? Now for the good news . . . this cd does contain some wonderful cuts. Hank Jr. comes through big time on "Big River", as does Dwight Yoakam, Marty Stuart, and Little Richard rocks on "Get Rhythm". The trio of Mary Chapin Carpenter, Sheryl Crow, and Emmylou Harris blend beautifully. Overall, worth adding to your collection, but could have been much better.

40 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Keb Mo? Puh-leez, December 31, 2002

By 

Tom Hoisington (Kirkland, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash (Audio CD)

If you honestly can't bring yourself to say the words "I shot a man in Reno/ just to watch him die," I guess that's okay. There's just one requirement with that condition, and that is that you don't ever, EVER attempt to sing Folsom Prison Blues. Whoever let Keb Mo do that song on an album without the most important line should be fired, and Keb Mo should be kept from recording ever again. Heresy. Blasphemy. Scandal. A pox on everyone who let this happen.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well produced tribute, September 26, 2002

By 

p. silverman (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash (Audio CD)

The songs of Johnny Cash have once again laid the foundation for a tribute album, and this one may be the *one*. Despite some tentative entries by some well-meaning younger artists we have a perennial here. (And I did not detect any computer-driven sounds).
Yes, Charlie Robison's version of "Don't Take Your Guns To Town" (I wish Bruce S., who did "Give My Love To Rose", and Charlie R. switched tunes), Kevin "Keb' Mo'" Moore's "Folsom Prison Blues", and Travis Tritt's "I Walk The Line", are good listenable, respectful tributes but somehow fall short on their own. "I Walk The Line" is an exotic beat ballad and the original is the one that works for me. Then again there's Jaye P. Morgan's...JK, JP.
Not to dwell on younger-older, especially on a from-the-heart set like this, but the seasoned pipes of Little Richard, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen really carry the message. Richard, at age 69, delivers on "Get Rhythm", a melody finely tuned to his staccato vocal style, though a lower key might have been even more effective; his piano playing is well-mixed. His longtime sideman Jesse Boyce is on bass. Bob is not in his best voice on "Train Of Love", but the arrangement is so good that one is not concerned about the occasional roughness. Bruce's contribution could easily take a place on any of his own albums, though the track runs a little long.
At the end of the day, it's Mr. Johnny Cash, who seizes the moment. Along with Janette Carter, a Carter family member, influential artist, and founder of the Carter Family Music Memorial, and June Carter Cash, et. al, he sings "Meet Me In Heaven", a monumental reflection for the ages. His is the last voice we hear and it's sensitively presented.