By Andy Argyrakis

CASH'S LAST RECORDING

He may no longer be with us, but the spirit of Johnny Cash will undoubtedly live forever. Aside from his lineage of hit recordings, there's no way to measure all of the impact he's had on the country scene, let alone rock, folk, gospel and Americana. Though it appeared as though the world would never see a new batch of tunes from The Man In Black, longtime producer Rick Rubin recently unveiled there was a stack of ten remaining in the archives, recorded under the acclaimed American Recordings series banner and turning towards covers of spirituals. In fact, the Ain't No Grave subtitle is just about as perfect as it could get for summarizing the album's theme, suggesting the singer/songwriter's since left this world for heaven and singing plenty of praises on his way there.

GENRE BLENDING BLISS

One of the Christian music's most acclaimed buzz bands Newworldson returns for a sophomore self-titled CD blending the best of pop, rock, jazz, gospel and blues wrapped around a jam band feel. Add in a vertical lyrical bent loaded with assertive advice for living a bold spiritual life, and this disc is certainly a cure for commonplace.

NEW SUMMER AND STARFIELD

Piano poppers/punk rockers The Rocket Summer return with Of Men and Angels (Island), a spiritually centered affair geared towards both faith-based and mainstream audiences. Starfield takes a more decidedly spiritual approach on its worshipful The Saving One (Sparrow), crossed with its Brit-pop pretense.

For a complete list of new and upcoming albums, check out our new releases page.