Ragged Old Flag

As the title track--with its martial drum intro, bold strings, and patriotic narrative--indicates, RAGGED OLD FLAG is another of the Man in Black's mid-'70s song cycles about American national identity. But while this track leans toward melodrama, the album, as a whole, is more in keeping with Cash's up-close-and-personal songwriting tradition than the elaborate history lesson of 1972's AMERICA.
Here, narratives of working-class hardship predominate. "All I Do Is Drive" tells the story of a truck driver's life, while "Southern Comfort" and "King of the Hill" spin tales of jobs in a tobacco factory and a cotton mill, respectively. There are songs about alienation ("Lonesome to the Bone"), domestic bliss ("While I've Got It on My Mind"), and the anomalous but affecting environmental protest song, "Don't Go Near the Water". Cash's facility with the point-of-view story-song is strong as ever, and with rich backing from the Oak Ridge Boys and the Tennessee Three, RAGGED OLD FLAG is a worthwhile addition to any fan's collection.|