On this particular island, there will be sun and sand — but nary an original artist. Join us, as we query our intrepid panel on its must-have cover songs for their fateful journey.

Another Monday, another chance to dive into fresh musical delights from the likes of Balsam Range, Branford Marsalis, Keith Jarrett, Marcus Miller and the Trishas, among others.

A benefit Johnny Cash tribute concert, to be held April 20, 2012 in Austin, Texas, has confirmed appearances set for Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow.

A flurry of activity will greet the 80th birthday of Johnny Cash, including a museum dedicated to his life and the release of Bootleg Vol. IV: The Soul of Truth, a 2-CD, 51-track collection of gospel and spiritual recordings from the 1970s and ’80s.

It’s one thing to cover somebody, quite another to expose something fundamentally true about the original song through your interpretation — and that happens with Johnny Cash’s take on this Bob Dylan classic.

by Fred Phillips When Johnny Cash came to work with Rick Rubin in the 1990s, American Records had another man in black already on the roster — Glenn Danzig.

by Derrick Lord Four large letters printed across the top of a black and white photo on a CD cover: CASH. A picture of him sitting quietly, microphone hanging before him, head bowed, eyes closed and listening to the music track over headphones.

by Nick DeRiso For me, the traditional year-ending Top 10 list has a more utilitarian standard: Which albums did I add to my permanent rotation? See, it’s the rarest of rare items that actually becomes a member of the collection. That’s the kind of standout recording we’ll be talking about today for my calendar-turning retrospective. I don’t know if they [...]

by Mark Saleski For many years, I was very comfortable with the statement: “I hate country music.” It was easy to say because there was so much evidence all around: Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, Faith Hill and all of that — it was really just pop music with belt buckles, boots, and big hats. I guess I was pushing back [...]

by Nick DeRiso Johnny Cash leaves us, finally, much the same way he arrived — rustic, spiritual, unbent. But something, these newly released final recordings make clear, had changed. Cash died nearly seven years ago still in mourning over the absence of his one true love. But not before completing a song cycle that would continue through to this, the [...]