Johnny Cash’s career had as many lives as a cat. Unfortunately, the man in black had only one life; one that came to an end in September 2003. During his final months, Cash began recording what would be American VI: Ain’t No Grave, which was released Feb. 23, almost seven years after his death.

In the early 90s, Cash teamed up with producer Rick Rubin to record and release American Recordings on Rubin’s recently launched label of the same name. Rubin, known for founding Def Jam Recordings and his work with The Beastie Boys, Run DMC and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, re-invented Cash’s sound, presenting a much more stripped down version of the man in black. The album, recorded in his living room, featured Cash’s voice accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. American Recordings would be the label’s first major success and usher in the second rebirth of Johnny Cash’s career.

Cash and Rubin continued to collaborate on a series of six albums, now referred to as the American Recording series, up to the days preceding Cash’s death.

The final album of the series, American VI: Ain’t No Grave, is comprised mostly of covers with the exception of I Corinthians 15:55, the last song to be penned by Cash before his death.

Keeping in mind that the album was recorded during his final days, Cash’s signature baritone voice is noticeably more battered and worn than the one heard on previous recordings; it is the voice of a man whose heartbreak over the loss of his wife, June Carter Cash, would eventually be the end of him.

Not straying from the proven formula of the previous albums, Cash’s voice and minimal instrumental accompaniment build the skeletal structure for each track. Members of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers and The Avett Brothers, among many other notable musicians provide additional instrumental tracks behind Cash vocals. Acoustic guitar, banjo, dobro, piano, foot stomps, and even a string section can be heard throughout the album.

The eerily ironic title track kicks off the album, with Cash singing, “No, there ain’t no grave that can hold me down.” If there is ever to be a moment where one feels as though they are being spoken to from the great realm beyond, this is it. Following the first song is a cover of Sheryl Crow’s Redemption Day, a slightly more upbeat song that sets the mood for the rest of the album. Sending the album, and Cash himself, on their way is the final song of the record, Aloha Oe originally by Queen Lili’uokalani. The final track brings to mind a vessel setting sail into a beautiful sunset and ends the album on an uplifting note.

The slow and steady “boom-chika boom-chika” country sound of Cash’s early years at Sun Records is nowhere to be found on this record. Instead, the music of Ain’t No Grave could be best classified as folk or Americana. Twang ridden guitars and tic-tac bass lines are left in the past and replaced with finger picked acoustic guitar and banjo rolls.

As the most somber album of the series, Aint No Grave’s songs listen as a self penned epitaph for the man in black. While some may not consider it Cash’s best work, the record serves as the final page in one of the most important chapters in music history.

Although a grave may physically hold the man in black down, “Ain’t no grave” will ever bury the legacy and memory of Johnny Cash.