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List Price: $7.99 | | Label: Sony
Salesrank: 7871
Released: November 13, 2007 |
| Our Price: $4.33 |
| Used Price: $4.97 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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American III: Solitary Man Track Listing:
1. I Won't Back Down
2. Solitary Man
3. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
4. One
5. Nobody
6. I See a Darkness
7. Mercy Seat
8. Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)
9. Field of Diamonds
10. Before My Time
11. Country Trash
12. Mary of the Wild Moor
13. I'm Leaving Now
14. Wayfaring Stranger
American III: Solitary Man Reviews:
A Great Series of Recordings 
2009-08-28 - After hearing so many people gush about the Johnny Cash /Rick Rubin American series for several years, I finally got around to giving them a listen. I started with the first one "American Recordings". The first listen was a wow moment. A few weeks later I bought the next three "Unchained", "American III: Solitary Man" and American IV: The Man Comes Around". I had a long day of data entry to do so I ended up listening to these three CDs in one sitting on head phones. Amazingly I did not get bored with them and the time just flew by.
They did everything right on this series, from song selection to what seamed like the unerring production on every track. Be it Johnny with one guitar or a full band it seamed like no mistakes were made. Cash's voice was starting fade a bit on American IV but I found it to be an apt conclusion to his story in music. All four CDs are worth having and I will get American V some time soon.
This is a very fitting swansong for Cash.
I'm no country fan . . . 
2009-01-25 - . . . but I am a fan of this. I sought this out after hearing the Johnny Cash version of "Solitary Man" on "Stargate Atlantis" and after hearing Johnny perform "The Wanderer" on one of my U2 albums. I've never owned a Johnny Cash album or a country music album other than Glen Campbell's Greatest Hits, but old Johnny does a fabulous job with all the songs here. Granted, I'm not a fan of all the songs, but you can give this album a listen without constantly wanting to skip ahead. "The Mercy Seat" is a fine song about a guy who ultimately goes to the electric chair. It's a new favorite of mine. I might even seek out some more Cashola after this pleasant experience.
Master of Gloom
2008-12-04 - Johnny Cash was one of those musical giants who transcended the genre into which he was pigeonholed by the recording industry. Yeah, he was country but he was so much more than that and on American III: Solitary Man he proves it for the umpteenth time.
I bought this CD back around the time it was issued, dutifully listened to and enjoyed it, then put it on the shelf to be somewhat forgotten as I had so many other CDs coming in that demanded my attention. But recently I have been pulling such CDs out to rediscover the pleasure they once gave me. In so doing I came to appreciate not just the bleak expression of Cash's muse but also his droll humor.
My favorites here are the renditions of Tom Petty's I Won't Back Down; a despairing take on Neil Diamond's Solitary Man; a standout cover of U2's One; a chilling cover of Nick Cave's The Mercy Seat; and a sadly hopeful spiritual standard Wayfaring Stranger. I also like the humor of Nobody, Country Trash, and I'm Leavin' Now.
There are many people around who can't stand commercial country music yet they love Johnny Cash. I think that is because the honest emotion in Johnny Cash's voice draws the listener in regardless of what else he/she listens to. I own the entire "American" series recorded by Cash in his waning years and think that its close to being the best of them. If you have not heard this yet, you owe it to yourself to add it to your collection.
Very, very suggestive performances
2008-07-15 - Not being an expert on country music or on Johnny Cash, I must say this album is moving and very very suggestive; with simple but clever arrangements, beautiful songs and amazing vocal...
Obviously more than merely touched by age and various ailments, mr. Johnny Cash performes with great passion and suggests wisdom no young singer can convey (or even come close to conveying)...
I like it very much!
2nd Best of the American Series
2008-06-11 - Of the 5 American Series Cash released during his last years, this album is my 2nd favorite, very close to being IMHO as good as my favorite, A Man Comes Around IV. The main difference is that IV includes a few out of this world tracks that give it the edge over this one.
That is not to say that no stand out tracks are included on this set. No less practically half of the album reaches the status of being exceptional. Tom Petty sings along with Cash on the opening two tracks, the first being a Petty cover, I Won't Back Down. Petty's version is good but somewhat dated (Jeff Lynn produced it), Cash's version is more straight forward and much better. A similar analogy can be made of the next track, Solitary Man, a very straight forward version with a silent despair.
U2's One is another track which Cash does much much better (I am a huge U2 fan and think that their version is great). The text shines in this version and actually adds a different dimension to the song itself. After a solid and powerful start the set slows down somewhat with I See Darkness and The Mercy Seat. The latter track is a Nick Cave cover in which Cash interprets the anguish someone feels being on death row and about to be electrocuted; very powerful song and the end where the admission of guilt is followed by bar room piano playing in a macabre fashion is not to be missed.
Mary of the Wild Moor and Wayfaring Stranger are the main tracks at the latter half of this album. Although most of those tracks are not as good as the first tracks of the album, none of them have any filler feel to them.
Although I prefer IV, this album is also a must purchase for any Cash fan and those who would like to add some Cash to their collection should not let this album pass them by. Of the American Series, this may even be the most even album and probably has the most direct straight forward production, brimful of guitars and solid tracks.
