Tommy Cash - Six White Horses (1970)

Opening with a lament for the fallen JFK, RFK, and MLK and then closing with the staunchly right-wing "So, You're Tired of America," Tommy Cash's second Epic LP, Six White Horses, is a bit confused ideologically, and it also is a little muddled musically, containing a faster revival of his previous album's title track and a little bit of harder country in the form of Dallas Frazier's "I'm So Afraid of Losing You Again." These all tend to be outliers on an LP that is very much in the vein of Merle Haggard's late-'60s work -- a connection made evident by another Hag cover, "Okie from Muskogee" -- blending country and folk, emphasizing storytelling over simple love songs (although Cash writes a pretty good romantic tune on "I Owe the World to You"). Producer Glenn Sutton gives the music a commercial sheen without making it too slick, the sound suits Cash's baritone, and the songs are solid, as is the album overall. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine