The Johnny Cash Children's Album

If you’ve never heard The Johnny Cash Children’s Album, be prepared to be charmed, tickled, and a little surprised. This 1978 release is among the most personal of the Man in Black’s middle-period albums, with seven of its 11 tunes written by Cash himself. While the material is definitely aimed at the younger set, there’s a quiet wisdom and sense of experience in these tracks that speaks to adults as well. Cash’s baritone projects both gentle strength and wry humor, whether he’s teaching the benefits of togetherness (“One and One Makes Two”), savoring tongue-twisting dinosaur names (“The Dinosaur Song”), or leading a children’s choir in a campfire-style sing-along (“Little Green Fountain”). Frontier ballads and working man’s songs like “Tiger Whitehead” and “(The) Timber Man” bring to mind Cash’s early-‘60s Western-themed albums. From the droll storytelling of “Nasty Dan” to the wistful reflections of “Little Magic Glasses” and “Miss Tara,” Johnny puts real care and emotion into these tunes. “I Got a Boy (And His Name Is John)”—a duet with June Carter Cash—is a special treat, summing up the album's warmth and wit as a whole.