Holy frontload-y. All the best stuff is right at the beginning, and I think there being a cover of fucking “Danny Boy” of all things later in the album is all the evidence I need to show the steam does not keep coming. Clip out a few of the passe songs in their entirety and American IV: The Man Comes Around would have a good shot at actually earning its extravagant reputation.

It’s obviously too late for that, but I’d still categorize American IV: The Man Comes Around as some of the best country I’ve heard, as someone who’s rarely a fan of the aesthetic.