Not quite at the level he should be performing, but there was plenty of time for Johnny Cash to get there. The Fabulous Johnny Cash is a chance to hear more of the countrified tones and charms which appeared on Johnny Cash with his Hot and Blue Guitar!. There was much to love about that album, and there is plenty to like about this follow-up. Truly from a time when albums were more what the artist had written up recently than anything of thematic intent or deeper meaning. There were, of course, moments within albums of the time, and they’re as innovative then as they are now. Cash was still finding his footing when The Fabulous Johnny Cash came to be, and you can hear that. It’s not an anxiety or trepidation, but a sense of wanting to do more with the material at hand yet not being sure of how to put that all together. An outstanding voice and unique playing style is what Cash has, and that’ll do for The Fabulous Johnny Cash.
What Cash can’t quite remove himself from is the rest of the country music pack. Solid work, certainly, but it’s never quite setting the world on fire. He has the trail songs and loveless fixtures nailed down, he proves as much on Run Softly, Blue River and Frankie’s Man, Johnny. That’s about all there is, two variants which would be expanded on over the years Cash was active, but on The Fabulous Johnny Cash, it’s the simplicity that you need to fall in love with. His playing style is remarkable and takes the lead on almost every song. Lyrically, it’s far from the best. A few originals are scattered in amid a collection of songs written by the likes of Bob Nolan and Dorothy Coates. Cash makes them his own with that unique vocal style, though. That much is utterly crucial to the enjoyment of The Fabulous Johnny Cash. His covers are a little stronger than the originals captured here but they’re still a nice listen.
That’s All Over is the best of the bunch for the covers, a short and sharp song where subtlety is thrown out the window. What Cash, or at least his character wants, is made clear. That muted style of plucking is truly unique, just as important to Cash’s style as his voice, and it makes all the difference on The Fabulous Johnny Cash. It’s from there that the album starts to follow into a repetitive rhythm, an uneventful selection of covers and originals which are hardly inspiring. Songs like That’s Enough and I Still Miss Someone have that plodding feel to them but that’s because of what would, with the right material, be the iconic guitar style. Cash has that slight echo to his voice nailed and the instrumental style is undeniably thrilling, but it’s the material that matters most.
The Fabulous Johnny Cash just doesn’t have the best material to its latter stages. It’s worth a listen because of how much of a change it highlights in Cash’s music, that’s more than enough of a reason. Cowboys on the farm and little flickers of cliche country cowboy music with Supper-Time isn’t disappointing to see knowing how much fire Cash would bring to his music in the years to follow, but it’s material of the times. Not dated in the musical sense, just in the stories they tell. Cash’s cover work is nice enough, but the supper time, bean-eating and field work gets old rather fast. Not because it’s not relatable or you can’t find anything in it to enjoy, but because Cash can do better than saying he has a shepherd attending his heart. Still a solid listen, it just pales when compared to what followed.
