Carryin’ On With – JOHNNY CASH & JUNE CARTER***

Long Legged Guitar Pickin’ Man/Shantytown/It Ain’t Me Babe/Fast Boat To Sydney/Pack Up Your Sorrows/I Got A Woman/Jackson/Oh What A Good Thing We Had/You’ll Be All Right/No No No/What’d I Say

Carryin’ On was a unique collaboration between country artists Johnny Cash and June Carter (of The Carter Family), who would become his wife the following year. (US:194)

“This is a nice set of generally upbeat songs from the duo of Johnny Cash and June Carter, who would get married the following year. In spite of a few songs that don't quite work (like the Ray Charles songs and the dumb Shantytown), this manages to be more than the sum of its parts. It maintains a great energy throughout, and there is some fine guitar and piano playing to boot.”

“This was and remains one of the more significant albums of Johnny's long and distinguished career, and also leaves us wondering how big a star June could have been had she taken a music career seriously.”

“Johnny Cash and June Carter are largely responsible for starting off the country star duet cycle. This first album is the best. These tracks are packed with the sparks these two soul mates displayed on stage. Cash certainly seems to be enjoying himself more in the duets than in any of his solo work, he's clearly having fun. June gives such a delicious comic sass to their toe-tapping numbers.”

“I've noticed that whenever Johnny sang with June, his voice took on a different quality. It's a sound of vitality, more upbeat, even when singing about sad things.”

“This was a good period for both of them, and there are a few standout tracks (Jackson and Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man), but the rest is unfortunately filled with low-grade Johnny.”

“The first cut, Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man is a fine start, but it's downhill from there, especially with such ill-advised covers as It Ain't Me Babe and What'd I Say.”

“He and June have fun with two R & B hits borrowed from the late Ray Charles, but what they prove is that the songs should have stayed with Ray. I still love the Man in Black, and the woman he was meant to marry, but not this particular project.”