Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Original Soundtrack - Walk the Line

This is not a review about Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon's hair. However--as any self-respecting fan knows--in country music, after proving you can pluck a guitar and carry a tune, the power of the right hairstyle is not to be underestimated. Johnny Cash, in fact, was famously vain about his locks--perhaps one of the few things he was vain about--and many a guitar store employee can attest to the fact that when the Man in Black came in to buy his special brand of guitar pick, his hair was dyed a jet black more often seen on a boy of 20 than a man of 60. In any case, Phoenix and Witherspoon's performances as Johnny and June Carter Cash succeed more in the style and hair department than in their musicality. Phoenix fares better than his co-star in reinventing the Cash mystique, and his sweet, almost earnest interpretation of "Get Rhythm" is as charming as it is honest. Unfortunately, the powerful song "Ring of Fire" is flat and wholly without the narrative pull it had when Cash sang it. And Witherspoon is simply not up to the warbling task she's faced with in singing as June Carter Cash. (To be fair, it's hard to know who would be, but the estimable Loretta Lynn or Tift Merritt would have had better luck). Carter Cash's honeyed gift with melody, and the largeness of her voice, honed over decades in live performance, is hard to replicate for even a seasoned singer, and predictably, Witherspoon falls short of the mark. It's certainly seductive to imagine that playing a figure as compelling as Johnny or June would allow an actor to channel the soul and some of the talent of the artist, but the closest this record comes is in "Cry, Cry, Cry," where Phoenix's gravelly voice offers the same sustained thrill that made Johnny Cash irresistible--to June and his fans. --Megan Halverson Amazon.com

Do not buy

I was real excited to get my "Walk the Line" CD. It was an enhanced version of the movie soundtrack. There was a problem. If you wanted to hear the CD you had to join Rapsody. This was a very sneaky way to get you to join. You people at Amazon.com are really very good to work with and yes, you did give me a refund. HOwever, you cannot believe how disappointed I was in that transaction. This will not stop me from ordering from you but please tell all about your products. Anyone who sees the word "enhanced" on the cover of a CD be careful before you buy. Auburn Betty. October 8, 2008

Walk the Line...great movie and soundtrack

I loved the movie and get to re-live it everytime I play the soundtrack. Joaquin Phoenix is awesome and Reese Witherspoon steals the show, you won't believe the chemistry here. Tour de' force performances.... September 29, 2008

Not For A Purist

I enjoy this CD very much but it is not for a Johnny Cash purist.
This is Joaquin Phoenix singing Johnny Cash songs so if you are a true Johnny Cash fan you would be better off buying another CD. But I am a Joaquin Phoenix fan so I got what I wanted. I gave it four stars because I wanted even more of Joaquin's singing. If you buy this CD expecting to hear lots of Reese Witherspoon you will be disappointed. She was in the movie enough to win an Academy Award, but you won't hear much of her on the CD. July 28, 2008

GREAT!!!!!

LOVE THIS GREAT CD. WELL WORTH THE MONEY AND TIME. GOES GREAT WITH MOVIE.
WOULD BY IT AS A GIFT FOR ANYONE. June 23, 2008

Old Music, New Twist

This soundtrack is absolutely wonderful! After having the movie for years, and watching it over and over to hear the songs, I thought it about time to get the actual soundtrack.

Reese and Joaquin put a beautiful new sound on these old classics, and it works! I could listen to this CD over and over.

Now "Times A Wastin'" isn't on the CD, and I saw that someone gave it a bad review because of that. Well June wrote "Times A Wastin'" with her first husband, which is the main reason it's not on the CD. It's not a song that she was inspired to write because of Johnny; it was just a song that she said she'd never sing again, especially with another man, and she did sing it again, with Johnny.

This is an absolutely wonderful compilation of old songs with a new twist. I highly recommend it. June 12, 2008

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