Anchored in Love - A Tribute to June Carter Cash Review
by Zane Ewton
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The music and the lives of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash have been wildly celebrated since their deaths a few years ago. Posthumous records, compilations and a movie have served to share the Cash's legacy with generations to come. Conspicuously absent has been a real musical tribute to June.
June Carter is a member of the legendary Carter family. Her parents A.P. and Maybelle are credited for basically inventing country music. Needless to say, June Carter was country music royalty even before marrying Johnny Cash. After that, June and Johnny's music was permanently entangled.
The couple's son, John Carter Cash, produced the album as well as authored a biography, both titled Anchored in Love. He brought together many big names and legends to contribute covers of songs that June Carter Cash was best known for.
Some tracks are beautiful testaments to Cash and her Legacy. The lesser tracks are few in number, but still have merits of their own.
Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson lead off with a rather disappointing duet of "If I Were a Carpenter". June's daughter Carlene duets with Ronnie Dunn in a bland version of "Jackson". Both of these songs were duets between June and Johnny. Apparently real love and attraction makes an audible difference in a song performance.
The stature of the artists involved benefits the album immensely. When you see the names, you know exactly what you are going to get, which isn't a bad thing. Classic country women offer the most emotional performances. Loretta Lynn with "Wildwood Flower", Emmylou Harris with "A Song for John" and Roseanne Cash with an incredible version of "Wings of Angels".
A couple of the men don't fail to please either. Kris Kristofferson duets with Patty Loveless on "Far Side Banks of Jordan". Billy Joe Shaver's deep, gruff voice marks an affecting version of "Kneeling Drunkard's Plea". Elvis Costello seems like an odd choice alongside someone like the country hit maker Brad Paisley, but his version of "Ring of Fire" stands beside "Wings of Angels" as the absolute highlights of the record.
The less that can be said of Billy Bob Thornton the better.
June Carter Cash deserved a quality tribute. She has definitely received it with Anchored in Love. It completely lacks the artifice of so many tribute albums. That is what you get when the people who genuinely know you and love you are also music royalty in their own rights.
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Anchored in Love - A Tribute to June Carter Cash
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