At the center of every album is a musical thesis. This thesis can be the driving force behind the album, a theme that interweaves songs together, or a feeling you are left with after the last song plays. With some albums, the thesis is easy to find. On others, it is hidden and requires you to be more than a passive listener. These reviews are not about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.  

I know you feel the way I change
But you can't change the way I feel
Sometimes I'm a stranger to you
One of a kind
And I think some way you'll make it through
You don't know how to take it
Sometimes you're a stranger to me
One of a kind

Johnny Cash is a rare artist. While he mostly owned one genre for the entirety of his life, his influence knew no bounds. His legend left and continues to mark artists, solo acts, and bands, no matter their relationship to country music.  

For me, as a kid growing up and developing his own taste in music in Oklahoma, the music of Johnny Cash has always been omnipresent. In our home, the home of others, on road trips, quick trips, in department stores, and in movies, his music has always been there. It was so ubiquitous that it seemed easy to ignore in some ill-formed scheme to rebel against the music of my parents. I rebelled and ignored until I couldn’t rebel or ignore anymore.  

Like lots of people, Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt forced me to pay attention. His music was no longer background music. It was front and center demanding my full attention, begging to be fully explored. Since that day, that is exactly what I have done.  

I have explored his catalog from beginning to end, his recorded concerts, and his television show. With every new discovery, I deeply appreciate the artist. As I listen to this album, I am given a rare opportunity to live in the appreciation of others. For me, Forever Words is more than an album filled with cover songs. It is a tribute to an artist who left an indelible mark on music and popular culture.  

But there is more here than a collection of musicians paying their respects to someone they admire and respect. I hear familiar themes, themes Mr. Cash wrestled with all his life. I hear songs for the forgotten. I hear love songs. I hear songs of reflection and perseverance. I hear God and an eternal battle against evils from within and from without. I hear artists channeling the spirit of Johnny Cash, and an attempt to present themselves as co-signers in the fight. No, this isn’t just a collection of songs by artists covering Johnny Cash. It is something much more profound. This is something much more moving.  

Be good to each other,  

Nathan