American V: A Hundred Highways

Johnny Cash's "American V: A Hundred Highways" was recorded in the last months before his death and the arrangements were done later by producer Rick Rubin. The album consists of songs about loss, sadness, faith, love, jail and, of course, June. While the entire album is worth a listen, there are a few tracks that stand out. The first track, "Help Me," is stripped down; it's nothing but Cash's haunting voice and an acoustic guitar. With lines like, "I never thought I needed help before/I thought that I could get by- by myself/Now I know I just can't take it any more," the listener can hear Cash's heart breaking over the loss of the late June Carter Cash. "God's Gonna Cut You Down" is a song to clap along to and you might find the chorus stuck in your head hours after listening to it. "Rose of My Heart" is a beautiful song with lyrics like, "We're the best partners this world's ever seen/Together we're close as can be/But sometimes it's hard to find time in between/To tell you what you mean to me." It's hard to listen to this song and not tear up. This album proves, yet again, that Cash's music is timeless and for all generations to enjoy.