Cash Vs. Buffalo

American IV: The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash

I really like Johnny Cash. And I really like all the albums in the American Recordings series he has put out with Rick Rubin. Solitary Man, the third installment, is probably my personal fave (due primarily to song choice: the title track, "The Mercy Seat", " I See A Darkness"), but American IV: The Man Comes Around is damn good, too. My favorite song on here may actually be the title track, a self-penned ditty packed full of apocalyptic and biblical imagery, sounding as much like a prophetic warning as a country tune, Johnny's aging baritone adding a unique gravitas to the whole affair (I think perhaps only Leonard Cohen can pull off this sort of song as well..."The Future" comes to mind. )

I also really enjoy his resurrection of the especially bad-ass "Sam Hall" with its gallows humor and half-sung, half-spat refrain: "Damn your eyes!" The decision to cover some alternative rock hits such as NIN's "Hurt" and Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" may seem gimmicky at first, but Johnny actually does a fine job with them, reinterpreting the songs in the context of his own life struggles and spirituality.

That being said, there are a few questionable choices here. In the best of all possible worlds, "Desperado" would have been left off the album entirely. (Nope, I can't stand the Eagles. Funny side-note: This song inevitably reminds me of that episode of Seinfeld in which Elaine's boyfriend hushes her and goes into a trance-like state whenever it comes on the radio...) I can appreciate the sentiment behind "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Danny Boy", but there's so much else I would rather hear Johnny sing. And then there is "Bridge Over Troubled Water"...What the hell IS Fiona Apple trying to do with her voice in the background there?!? Good Lord. These are minor grievances, however, in the big scheme of all things Johnny. As the Wu-Tang Clan once aptly put it: "Cash rules everything around me!"

Rating: 4.3

Mighty Joe Moon by Grant Lee Buffalo

This is yet another critically-acclaimed band that I knew existed but have never really listened to for one reason or another. So this was my virgin run through Mighty Joe Moon. And I liked it...especially "Mockingbirds" (which reminded me at times of both Marc Bolan/T. Rex and the Beatles) and the closer "Rock of Ages". GLB mix up the tempos and textures nicely across the album, rocking out with noise and grit at times and smoothing things out to downright perty at others. I also dig the blend of rock and country featured here in just the right proportion: a little bit country and a lotta bit rock and roll.

However, not having a "history" with the band, I did not get as excited about these guys as I may have when I was 19. (This seems to be a recurring motif in Death Match reviews, no?) Also: Lead singer Phillips has a great voice, but at times he flirts dangerously close to sounding like Eddie Vedder. I like it better when he doesn't.

All in all, a solid alternative 90s album. Too bad it had to face off against the force that is Johnny Cash.

Rating: 3.4

Winner: JC's The Man Comes Around