The Legend Of Johnny Cash: Volume II
The legend of Johnny Cash has loomed even larger since his death, though this 20-cut anthology appears designed more to capitalize on that legend than enhance it. While it chronologically spans nearly half a century, the scattershot selection seems almost arbitrary: a few hits (though none of the biggest), a few lesser-known album cuts (though not necessarily his best), and a better sampling of the career-reviving recordings he made with producer Rick Rubin that reestablished him as an alt-rock icon.  Among the highlights are the irresistibly cheesy "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" from his early Sun Records days, the socially conscious "Ballad of Ira Hayes" (the Marine whose story is told so movingly inFlags of Our Fathers), and a live, fully orchestrated rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire."  This might fill a gap for those who want to go deeper into the Cash legacy than a greatest-hits collection but aren't ready to splurge on a definitive box set.--Don McLeese