Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash

by Anchored In Love - A Tribute To John Carter Cash

Overview

Because she rarely recorded under her own name, a tribute to the late June Carter Cash by default also stands as a tribute to her genealogy: several of the songs among the dozen here were recorded by June with her late husband, Johnny Cash, or by country music's legendary Carter Family, from which June sprang. In addition, the album was produced by John Carter Cash, the only child of Johnny and June, and there are tracks by Carlene Carter, June's daughter from her first marriage (to Carl Smith), and Rosanne Cash, Johnny Cash's daughter with his first wife. As producer, John Carter Cash largely plays it predictable. There are few surprises and no truly offbeat rearrangements or radical interpretations. Folks who enjoyed the singing of June Carter Cash will likely be quite satisfied with these loving, faithful covers. And they should be, because virtually all of the performances are flawless, honest, and inspired. Two duets lead things off: Sheryl Crow and duet king Willie Nelson give a spirited, if somewhat rote, reading to "If I Were a Carpenter," the Tim Hardin-penned classic, and Carlene Carter and Ronnie Dunn hoot it up on "Jackson," the Nancy Sinatra-Lee Hazlewood hit -- both songs were longtime staples of Johnny and June's shows together. A handful of top-shelf country artists, among them Loretta Lynn (a tender "Wildwood Flower"), Brad Paisley (a straightforward, beautifully sung "Keep on the Sunny Side"), and bluegrass hero Ralph Stanley ("Will the Circle Be Unbroken," what else?), pay their respects with kind treatments, and Emmylou Harris, who certainly learned a thing of two from June, sends it off in style with "Song to John," June's self-explanatory tribute of her own. It wouldn't be a tribute album if Elvis Costello didn't turn up, and though his "Ring of Fire" will never go down as the definitive version of that Johnny Cash signature, Costello brings his usual commitment -- and an autoharp, June's favorite instrument -- to his no-frills version. Two of the more left-field approaches come via Patty Loveless and Kris Kristofferson, who bring a touch of drollness to "Far Side Banks of Jordan," and Billy Joe Shaver, who's exactly the right guy to give a bit of bite to the Carter Family's "Kneeling Drunkard's Plea." You've got to think that both June and Johnny would have loved this homage, whose release coincides with the publication of John Carter Cash's same-titled biography of his mother. ~ Jeff Tamarkin

Product Details

Release Date:	11/24/2023
Label:	DUALTONE MUSIC GROUP
UPC:	0803020124219

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Willie Nelson   Primary Artist
The Peasall Sisters   Primary Artist
Kris Kristofferson   Primary Artist
Grey DeLisle   Primary Artist,Autoharp
Brad Paisley   Primary Artist,Guitar
Ralph Stanley   Primary Artist
Ronnie Dunn   Primary Artist
Carlene Carter   Primary Artist
Emmylou Harris   Primary Artist
Patty Loveless   Primary Artist
Elvis Costello   Primary Artist
Billy Joe Shaver   Primary Artist
Sheryl Crow   Primary Artist
Billy Bob Thornton   Primary Artist
Loretta Lynn   Primary Artist
Rosanne Cash   Primary Artist
Tom Britt   Guitar
Rick Lonow   Drums,Percussion
Tony Harrell   Piano,Accordion,Harmonium
Gary Morse   Guitar (Steel)
Leroy Troy   Banjo
David Roe   Bass (Electric),Bass (Upright)
Dewey Brown III   Fiddle
Ron Wall   Autoharp
Pat McLaughlin   Mandolin
Jamie Hartford   Mandolin,Guitar (Electric)
Sarah Peasall   Vocals (Background)
Murry Hammond   Guitar (Acoustic)
Leah Peasall   Vocals (Background)
Nathan Stanley   Mandolin
Steve Sparkman   Banjo
Kevin Grant   Bass (Upright)
Jack Cooke   Vocals,Bass (Upright)
Dennis Crouch   Bass (Upright)
Mickey Raphael   Harmonica
Larry Perkins   Autoharp,Bass (Upright)
James Alan Shelton   Guitar (Acoustic)
Mark Winchester   Bass (Upright)
Marvin Etzioni   Mandolin
Justin Williamson   Fiddle
Ronnie McCoury   Mandolin,Vocals (Background)
Nancy Blake   Mandolin
Marty Stuart   Guitar (Acoustic)
Laura Cash   Fiddle,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Norman Blake   Guitar (Acoustic)
Randy Scruggs   Slide Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
Hannah Peasall   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Trey Call   Audio Engineer
Chuck Turner   Audio Engineer,Mixing,Engineer
John Carter Cash   Audio Production,Producer,Liner Notes,Photography
Jeff Kersey   Engineer
Mark Petaccia   Production Assistant
June Carter Cash   Composer
Jim DeMain   Mastering
Richard Barrow   Engineer
Gina R. Binkley   Design,Art Direction
Helen Carter Jones   Composer
David Vaught   Engineer
Anita Carter   Composer
Eddie Jackson   Production Assistant
Steve Short   Production Assistant
Larry Perkins   Production Assistant
Anthony Ruotolo   Engineer
Jerry Leiber   Composer
Mother Maybelle Carter   Composer
Rick DePofi   Engineer
Merle Kilgore   Composer
A.P. Carter   Composer