Which pretty much sums up the whole recording; somehow each of the individuals or groups working on the songs have managed to find a way to make something that really shouldn't have worked, work. It's hard to remember now that Cash has become such an icon that he was once something of an outsider and his material wasn't considered acceptable by a fair bit of the country music establishment. People like Snoop Dog and Pete Rock, who does a great version of "Folsom Prison Blues", struggled, and still do, to be accepted by the mainstream, and have no problem identifying with Cash. Musically they may be miles apart from what Cash was doing at Sun Records in the 1950s, but on another level all of these guys have more in common with Johnny than most of today's so called country stars.
When you listen to Johnny Cash Remixed you're not going to hear covers of his songs. What you're going to hear are some classic tunes taken apart and put back together again in ways that may not be instantaneously recognizable but do have the same intent as the originals. I'm sure there are going to be those who won't be able to get there heads around the idea of anyone messing with Johnny's music. However if you approach this with an open mind, and your ears wide open, you can't help but appreciate the work of all those involved. In fact, you might just gain an even deeper appreciation for the original tunes hearing them performed in ways you've never heard before.
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