Early in his career, before the man in black was truly the man in black, Johnny Cash was just a country crooner with nothing but his trusty guitar and a love for the Christmas spirit.
The early ‘60s were a simpler time, before men were called Sue and we were all made to walk the line. They weren’t a time for all your new-fangled materialism, and our old mate Saint Nick doesn’t get a single mention on this 12-track LP, instead all the love is saved for the main man Jesus and his biblical co-stars.
Some tracks are just Johnny and his guitar, some have backing vocals, some have a full orchestra. The surprises just keep coming. ‘Blue Christmas’ gets a special mention for proving once and for all that the country music genre can make even the most uplifting topic a poignant ballad.
This Christmas, hark back to a simpler era. An era without Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé, an era where Christmas songs were really about Christmas and auto tune was 30 years away. Sit around the fire, bellies full to bursting, and spend Christmas with Johnny Cash.
7/10
