Songs about women being cheated on and disgraced isn’t exactly new in Country music. That doesn’t automatically make everyone of them bad however. Some of them combine the right level of sass with great lyrics and/or production to make a winning single. Case in point: Rainey Qualley’s “Me and Johnny Cash”.
The rocking number tells of a woman who has been done wrong by a man she once loved. Instead of crying over it though, she instead opts to get a little help from the Man In Black by tearing up some old love letters, having a bottle of wine, and of course spinning a record by the Man In Black himself. Several of Johnny Cash’s songs are cited in this song, as well as his famous light smashing incident that caused Cash to become banned from the Grand Ole Opry. Some may feel that the references are a tad cliche, and I suppose I can understand that, however I feel that the references work well in their context. Rainey also brings a vocal performance that is just right for giving it an angry element to it, while also making it a tad fun, resulting in a song that is easy enough to like, without taking itself too seriously. The song also embodies a nice Country/Rock production that while a tad overproduced at times, showcases a nice blend of Country and Rock, which one could read into as an ode to the Man In Black’s style of Rockabilly.
Sure, this song isn’t exactly original, but between the rocking production and the vocal performance, it’s something I can easily get behind and makes me curious to check out some of Rainey’s other work.
Grade: B
Listen: “Me and Johnny Cash”
Author: Zackary Kephart
The rocking number tells of a woman who has been done wrong by a man she once loved. Instead of crying over it though, she instead opts to get a little help from the Man In Black by tearing up some old love letters, having a bottle of wine, and of course spinning a record by the Man In Black himself. Several of Johnny Cash’s songs are cited in this song, as well as his famous light smashing incident that caused Cash to become banned from the Grand Ole Opry. Some may feel that the references are a tad cliche, and I suppose I can understand that, however I feel that the references work well in their context. Rainey also brings a vocal performance that is just right for giving it an angry element to it, while also making it a tad fun, resulting in a song that is easy enough to like, without taking itself too seriously. The song also embodies a nice Country/Rock production that while a tad overproduced at times, showcases a nice blend of Country and Rock, which one could read into as an ode to the Man In Black’s style of Rockabilly.
Sure, this song isn’t exactly original, but between the rocking production and the vocal performance, it’s something I can easily get behind and makes me curious to check out some of Rainey’s other work.
Grade: B
Listen: “Me and Johnny Cash”
Author: Zackary Kephart
