Search - June Carter Cash :: Press on

June Carter Cash is a country music blueblood through and through. As daughter of Maybelle Carter, a member of the pioneering Carter Family, her pedigree was well established; as wife and musical partner of Johnny Cash, her stature in country music lore was confirmed. However, with 1999's glorious Press On, her first solo effort in more than 25 years, she has made her own stellar contribution to the genre, one that sits comfortably alongside the work of her "aristocratic" company. Supported by warm and delicate acoustic strumming (from her own Autoharp as well as from Norman Blake and Marty Stuart among others), Cash proves herself to be an insightful and appealing songwriter capable of reconciling traditional themes with an acute awareness of modern times. One moment she sings of angels, family, and mortality, the next she blasts New York and Quentin Tarantino. Toss in a charming remake of her own composition "Ring of Fire," a powerful gospel duet with husband Johnny, and three Carter Family favorites, and the result is a lovely and expressive record that lives up to the promise of her esteemed names. --Marc Greilsamer