Walk the Line - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
This is not a review about Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon's hair. However--as any self-respecting fan knows--in country music, after proving you can pluck a guitar and carry a tune, the power of the right hairstyle is not to be underestimated. Johnny Cash, in fact, was famously vain about his locks--perhaps one of the few things he was vain about--and many a guitar store employee can attest to the fact that when the Man in Black came in to buy his special brand of guitar pick, his hair was dyed a jet black more often seen on a boy of 20 than a man of 60. In any case, Phoenix and Witherspoon's performances as Johnny and June Carter Cash succeed more in the style and hair department than in their musicality. Phoenix fares better than his co-star in reinventing the Cash mystique, and his sweet, almost earnest interpretation of "Get Rhythm" is as charming as it is honest. Unfortunately, the powerful song "Ring of Fire" is flat and wholly without the narrative pull it had when Cash sang it. And Witherspoon is simply not up to the warbling task she's faced with in singing as June Carter Cash. (To be fair, it's hard to know who would be, but the estimable Loretta Lynn or Tift Merritt would have had better luck). Carter Cash's honeyed gift with melody, and the largeness of her voice, honed over decades in live performance, is hard to replicate for even a seasoned singer, and predictably, Witherspoon falls short of the mark. It's certainly seductive to imagine that playing a figure as compelling as Johnny or June would allow an actor to channel the soul and some of the talent of the artist, but the closest this record comes is in "Cry, Cry, Cry," where Phoenix's gravelly voice offers the same sustained thrill that made Johnny Cash irresistible--to June and his fans. --Megan Halverson

Customer Reviews: Read 223 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

This is for old and new Cash fans alike, an excellent tribute. November 17, 2005
182 out of 193 found this review helpful

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon sound amazing. You know its not Johnny or June singing, but that's the whole point and will not mar the enjoyment you'll get from the songs on this cd. James Mangold (the director) didn't want to use a Cash impersonator or the original recordings for the movie; He wanted the actors to sing and play their own instruments in order to understand how important of a role that music played in these artists lives.

5 out of 5 stars

Familiar and different January 22, 2006
55 out of 67 found this review helpful

I loved this soundtrack since it was at once familiar and different from what your used to hearing. Theses are copies of the original tracks, but inspired randitions of the originals. Not all the tracks are equally successful. I must say I'm not overly pleased with the Jerry Lee Lewis, but I'll overlook that. This is a great cd and will contribute to any cd collection.

4 out of 5 stars

Imitation (is the sincerest form of flattery) November 21, 2005
31 out of 31 found this review helpful

Oh, wait. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon aren't trying to impersonate Johnny Cash and June Carter. Director James Mangold himself said, "If people want to hear Johnny Cash, they can buy one of his CDs." So stop calling the actors mindless impersonators; they're not copying Cash and Carter, they're trying to capture the essence of their sound.

Now, with that sermon preached, let's give this soundtrack the disgustingly positive review it deserves. Phoenix's voice is nothing short of astounding. Not only does he sound remarkably like Cash, he pours enough emotion into the tunes to make them believable. There's the opening "Get Rhythm," a toe-tapping ode to rock-n-roll. Better still is "I Walk the Line," where's Phoenix's voice doesn't miss a single note (listen to his impressively low register). He shines on uptempo numbers like "Cry Cry Cry," "Ring of Fire"--perhaps his finest performance--and the swaggering "Cocaine Blues."

And don't forget Reese Witherspoon. There's no denying her talent; she's got a nicely-twangy voice she's obviously been keeping under wraps. "Wildwood Flower" lacks some of the original's emotion, but Witherspoon is new and does a decent job. She mimics Carter's firecracker spirit on "Juke Box Blues," a twang-tinged delight, and "Jackson," a first-rate duet with Phoenix. Her back-up vocals on "It Ain't Me, Babe" also are impressive.

Tunes from other players are commendable if slightly less heartfelt. Tyler Hilton ably covers "That's All Right" and "Milk Cow Blues Boogie," and Waylon Malloy Payne scores a hit with the rollicking "Lewis Boogie." Shooter Jennings offers a fine country performance of "I'm A Long Way from Home."

Is this an album of cover tunes? In one way, the answer's a resounding yes. But every performer does well with the difficult task of interpreting the tunes to make them sound fresh.

And The Man in Black was nothing if not fearless when it came to his music.

5 out of 5 stars

Not like the originals, but a wonderful tribute November 15, 2005
19 out of 22 found this review helpful

These versions of classic country/rock songs are not as great as the originals, but the album as a whole is a wonderful tribute to Johnny Cash, one of the most influential people in the history of music......

4 out of 5 stars

These are not singers. January 18, 2006
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

It always makes me laugh how critical others can be. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are not singers, they are actors. But I thought they did a fantastic job singing the songs on this soundtrack. Obviously no one is going to sound exactly like Johnny Cash or June Carter...and that isn't the point of the soundtrack. Phoenix and Witherspoon give it their own sound and should be appreciated for that. I give them complete respect for actually learning and singing the songs and learning the instruments. Some people don't realize just how difficult that can be.

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