God is the weakest of the thematic CD trilogy that Cash released simultaneously in the spring of 2000 (the others being Love and Murder). It’s not that Cash himself necessarily feels less strongly about spiritual matters than he does about romance or violent death. Musically, however, Cash did not, generally speaking, paint as striking an oeuvre in the religious field as he did with those other subjects (not to mention with subjects other than love, god, or murder). The 16 songs, recorded between 1957 and 1996, are on the whole more glossily produced than those selected for the Love and Murder sets, and not as arresting. There are, of course, some excellent performances here, particularly the lone Sun track (“Belshazzar”) and the 1962 LP cut “Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord),” sung with the Carter Family. There’s also the chance to hear Cash cover songs not associated with his repertoire, such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me.” God is also available as part of the three-CD box set Love God Murder, comprised of thematic discs that are available together or separately. – Richie Unterberger