As part of
Columbia/Legacy
's ongoing celebration of
Johnny Cash
's 80th Birthday in 2012, the label assembled a series of compilations under the rubric "
The Greatest
." The concept of this 14-track compilation is clear: it is a collection of duets
Cash
cut for
Columbia
between 1967 and 1985. Some of these cuts appeared on albums by other artists ("Girl from the North Country" is pulled from
Bob Dylan
's
Nashville Skyline
), some were not released at the time (his
George Jones
duet "I Got Stripes" was a bonus track on the 2002 reissue of
Silver
), some are pulled from
's TV show (the opening "I've Been Everywhere" with
Lynn Anderson
), a few are duets with his wife
June Carter Cash
, and a couple are with his
Highwaymen
companions
Willie Nelson
and
Waylon Jennings
, while most derive from albums
released himself over the years. Despite this pedigree, some of these duets veer toward the glitzy showbiz side -- "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" has splashy horns, the production of the
Ray Charles
duet "Crazy Old Soldier" is so slick you can see your reflection in it -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing, as there's always an easy camaraderie between
and his partners, which is enough to keep things enjoyable throughout. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine