Personal File

Released less than three years after Johnny Cash's passing in 2003, Legacy's two-disc PERSONAL FILE collection presents a wealth of previously unreleased material. Although the country legend recorded some of these 49 songs (including "Tiger Whitehead" and "No Earthly Good") on other occasions, the sessions here primarily showcase the Man in Black playing for his own satisfaction in the House of Cash studio, accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. While the spare tunes clearly point to Cash's lauded 1990s comeback, they were cut between '73 and '82, a time when his musical career was on the wane, but he was still well known for his television appearances and evangelical work. With no record company pressure to cater to the prevailing sound of the time, Cash sounds completely assured and at ease on these bare-bones tracks, whether covering the Louvin Brothers ("When I Stop Dreaming"), taking on traditional tunes ("Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes"), or offering up rare originals ("It's All Over," "I Wanted So"), his bold, unmistakable baritone voice always at the fore. Though this intimate set is primarily geared toward devoted Cash fans, the performances on PERSONAL FILE, which often include spoken introductions, are so charming that those less familiar with the Man in Black will also find much to enjoy.