The world lost a precious gem of a musician when Johnny Cash passed away back in 2003. Luckily for us, those who control his estate, or more directly, his vault, are keeping him alive with a steady stream of new releases.

In the last few years of his life, Cash teamed with producer Rick Rubin, known for producing everyone from the Beastie Boys to Tom Petty, for a series of albums showcasing Cash’s uncanny ability to take great American songs and turn them into his own.

Now, nearly seven years after his demise, the final chapter in this astounding series has been released, titled “American VI: Ain’t No Grave.” The title cut opens the album with the statement “Ain’t no grave/can hold this body down.” I’m not sure about his body, but it is a statement of fact that no grave will hold Johnny Cash’s spirit down, as this wonderful album underscores again and again.

Covering songs from Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Paxton, and others, many will be recognizable as standards in American folk repetoire. But Cash puts his inimitable stamp on all of them, even the Hawaiian classic that closes the album, “Aloha Oe.”

Cash’s voice is in fine form, with an amazing band that includes Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell from the Heartbreakers and two of the Avett Brothers. He sings with deep emotion on songs like “Cool Water,” “Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound,” and his only writing contribution to the album “I Corinthians 15:55,” and with a delightful playfulness on tunes like “For The Good Times,” and “I Don’t Hurt Anymore.”

The result is a hauntingly beautiful and memorable album, a fitting epitaph for one of the greatest musicians of our time.

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