“It Was Jesus” is motivational gospel -- it’s time to get out of your pew, clap your hands, drop a dollar in the collection plate and sing along. “Who was it everybody? (It was Jesus!) Who was it everybody? (It was Jesus, it was Jesus Christ our Lord).” Never has the story of the crucifixion been sung with such conviction. It almost makes nailing someone to the cross sound like fun (remember I said almost). “I Was There When It Happened” is twangy country without being preachy and features Cash with a testifyin’ hayseed duo that includes another long time back up player named Perkins – guitarist Luther Perkins: “There are some people who say we cannot tell, whether we are saved or whether all is well. They say we only can hope and trust that it is so, but I was there when it happened, so I guess I ought to know.” “Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)”is a panacea for the Carter’s who are swayingly tender and country angelic. One of the Carter’s (not identified, but it ain’t June) hits high notes that can part the heavens. A group of unidentified male backup singers liven up “That’s Enough.” They respond to Cash’s like the back up singers in Dean Martin’s “Memories Are Made Of This” – they’re peppy, pert, and completely unselfish, holding back at times where other singers might try to show off. There’s one line in the song from the Steve Miller school of create a rhyme that would leave Pope Paul rolling down the aisle: “He’s a great emancipator and my heart regulator” (We talkin’ about God or a bypass here?)

Some of “The Ultimate Gospel’s” borderline performances don’t stand a prayer, but I confess, a few of them have interesting moments. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” is youthful Cash, when he had a much more solid baritone than he did after the years of drug abuse that turned his voice into a doom saying shaky vibrato. This may be more easy listening than country, but Cash satisfies when hits some surprising high notes while declaring the title. “Amazing Grace” is usually sung with sparse accompaniment, but here’s a shocker -- Johnny Cash with a full orchestra. “Amazing Grace” is also tailored for singers with more dramatic pipes (Mary Fahl, Aaron Neville or Steve Winwood). Cash plays it flat, although the arrangement is dignified and sanctified. “My Ship Will Sail,” an unreleased cut from 1974, has an unfortunate back up singer bungling the chorus who sounds like a cross between Fozzy Bear and Ray Romano, but if you block him out and listen to the bass man, it’s worth it. It’s the only unreleased cut that should have been released.

It’s interesting that the Carters are stuck in the distant background when they appear on the CD, sounding like spirits that have been conjured up at a séance. Maybe that’s the desired effect, but on “(There’ll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me),” it’s frustrating. The Carter’s tight teamwork belongs up front with Cash. “He’ll Understand and Say Well Done” is sometimes awkward lyrically, but has plenty of humming from the saved minions carrying the vocal cross. The tune swings a little when Cash and the B.J. Chorus do a call and response. The B.J.s are a little stiff, but just about everything was uptight back in 1962. “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder” with its trumpeting horns and full orchestra is something you might expect from Andy Williams, rather than Cash, but it’s just another fascinating facet of Cash’s broad repertoire.

Sometimes talkin’ ‘bout God can make even the coolest man sound like a cornball, so there are a few sermons on “Ultimate Gospel” that doth blaspheme. “Here Was A Man” is spoken word chest beating with the Bill Walker Orchestra that some unsuspecting live audience had to cringe their way through. Cash sounds like a paranoid McCarthy-era preacher in his pulpit, chasing demons that aren’t there, and this bit is scarily reminiscent of the flag waving jingoistic jams John Wayne perpetrated on records in the 60s. But even Wayne would have to say “Hold on, pilgrim” to this over-the-top, pompous production. “How Great Thou Art” is a gospel staple, this time with a concert piano introduction by Earl Poole Ball. It’s elegant and sweeping, and perhaps a bit too refined for this woodsy setting. This schlock should have been called “How Grandiose Thou Art.” Its unreleased and it’s not hard to figure out why. There’s not a whole lot of energy from Cash either, who’s mumbling is buried behind Ball’s showy piano. “The Preacher Said, Jesus Said” was written by Cash, but that’s hardly an excuse. The preacher is portrayed by Billy Graham (yes, the real one), who speaks from on high with righteous conviction, but he comes across like Mel Brooks delivering the fifteen commandments. (Okay, that was Moses and it was ten, but Billy’s appearance has a similar begging to be lampooned effect.) “It’s No Secret (What God Can Do)” is another unreleased tune with Ball getting too much mike time center stage in the recording booth. Does this guy know how to play to the mood of a song? I guess not. His honky tonk saloon “py-yanna” playing might fit the saloon scene in a “Gunsmoke” rerun, but God saved his sense of humor for the likes of Tiny Tim, George Bush, Rosie O’Donnell and Newt Gingrich, not sanctified songs. Granted, a person’s love for God can be uplifting, but not this uplifting. “The Great Speckle Bird” has a syrupy Grand Ole Opry stamp with a waltzy arrangement, dancing piano and metronome vocal that’ll leave you carving 666 into your forehead. It breaks the first commandment of music (“Thou shall not stink”). It’s a good representation of the type of gospel you feared Cash would do and thankfully doesn’t.

With two dozen tunes, a lot of “Ultimate Gospel”’s ultimate success relies on whether you’re right with God. Me and the bearded big man aren’t exactly on spiritual speaking terms, so some of Cash’s mid-career sermons made me want to sacrifice Paris Hilton’s yip dog while listening to Spooky Tooth and doing Jell-O shots off of Veronica Zemanova’s bare midriff. But that’s just me. If you’re a fan of Ozark/country gospel you’ll say hallelujah to “The Ultimate Gospel”. If not, don’t just pass the plate. You don’t have to genuflect or sit in a sweat lodge waiting for a vision. Listening to it purely on an entertainment level works too.

Posted March 29, 2007 Permalink