So. This is a concept album which already puts it on the back foot a bit. There’s a bit too much talking in there to really make it an enjoyable thing. But on the other hand, it’s Johnny Cash and you just listen when he talks and doubly listen when he sings so it still somehow works. It’s not going to be my favourite Cash album by a long shot, but I do respect the effort.

Another step along the Johnny Cash journey, and this was another simple collection of songs that he does so beautifully. What I always find weird about these albums is how many covers there are, or songs that are traditional that I had no idea about… Beach Boys’ Sloop John B is on here in a different format because it’s actually an old school traditional song - who knew??? And My Grandfather’s Clock is just an old kid’s song… but also on a Johnny Cash album?!

I don’t know that I would listen to a Christian album from anyone else but Cash has the vocals to make it work. And in all honesty, this wasn’t so different from his previous albums, just slightly weighted towards the topic of the heavenly father. Otherwise, it was good 50s/60s beats, that incredible voice and short, sharp songs.

It’s that time again! A whole year of music listening gets distilled down to a choice of five top albums and seeing if any of them can break into my top ten of all time. I don’t usually enjoy this process and this year hasn’t been any different, although if I’m honest, the choice was slightly less inspiring than usual. It felt like the year was very top heavy in terms of stand-out albums, and as I was reviewing my shortlist, none of them were really jumping out.

It’s taken me a full year to get through this but not because it isn’t a good book, mostly because it’s the kind that you can pick up and put down, dip in and out of and just generally revel in the calm storytelling of a master. He’s got plenty to talk about and is honest about it all, looking back philosophically about the highs and lows of a life in country music.

Hooray and eek in equal measure, it’s time for a round up of my year in albums! Another 100 albums listened to and enjoyed (for the most part), hours of songs consumed and pretty much the same amount of time deciding which belong in my top five of the year - and which, if any, can break through into my top ten. I feel like it’s been a good year for music, perhaps not as strong as last year, but solid. Lots of good albums were released but I found there were many that I enjoyed but had just one or two things that sort of put me off: too short, too long, one dodgy song, a change in tone that didn’t fit, that kind of thing. It’s interesting for me to feel this way because the whole point of this adventure was to teach me about the concept of an album, and to be picking up reasons why it’s not quite working for me means I’m obviously starting to understand what an album is.

So, we were watching High Fidelity and yes, maybe had had a drink or two along the way. This bit happened: Which I naturally forgot about. So this came as a surprise: And now I have this: It’s a real, physical book because it wasn’t available in Kindle format. And I still went and bought it, which is unusual for me and can mean only one of three things:

Yay for the third album along my journey through the history of Johnny Cash. Whilst this is very similar to the previous two albums, I felt like I preferred it to the second record but not quite as much as the first. Good songs, great guitar work, and nice rhythms that keep you entertained. What’s not to like?

My obsession with Johnny Cash is growing, so this is his second album and I loved it, naturally. It’s similar to the first - lots of short snappy songs, great train-like guitars and fab beats. There were more backing vocals than before, I felt, which gave it a different ambience, but it still worked for me.

I’ve been dreading this moment pretty much from the second I hit publish on last year’s round-up of my musical adventures. Now it’s time for me to pick not only my top five albums of the year just gone but also update my top ten albums of all time. Naturally, this only includes the ones I have listened to in the course of this album adventure nonsense, so it’s actually the top ten albums of all time out of 200 options. But that’s double last year, and the more I listen, the more I learn.

Something about Johnny Cash’s deep and sultry voice just washes over you and wraps you in a comforting blanket – even when he’s singing about troubling topics. Prison, death, heartbreak, and just the occasional glimpse of love going right, this is a brilliant, if short, debut album.

This was another film that follows an autobiography, like Mandela, and sticks to it to the letter, showing the character up for all their faults. And it seemed like Mr Cash had a lot of faults.