Johnny Cash/Willie Nelson: VH1 Storytellers

If you're seeking proof that VH1 has become the more vital of the two major music networks—if you can still technically call MTV a "music network"—you needn't look far beyond VH1 Storytellers. It's essentially MTV Unplugged redux, but when was the last time MTV aired anything other than Loveline and reruns of The Real World Besides, MTV would never in a million years think of airing an acoustic concert by country-music dinosaurs like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. The kids are supposedly screaming for Puff Daddy and Matchbox 20, so it's Puff Daddy and Matchbox 20 they'll get. Meanwhile, VH1 scored one of last year's musical highlights with its Cash/Nelson special. Brilliant in its simplicity, the show allowed the two giants to sit around with acoustic guitars, trading songs and impromptu quips before a small, appreciative audience. The results, of course, are amazing: Clear and unadorned, with many miscues left intact, the show and its companion CD are essential documents. If anything, the CD is preferable to the show: There are no commercial breaks, of course, and it's been resequenced in a way that actually improves its flow. Unfortunately and inexplicably, the disc leaves out a few performances, including "Ring Of Fire" and "Country Boy." But you won't hear some of the album's material in the broadcast, and producer Rick Rubin wisely leaves Cash and Nelson's comfortable between-song commentary intact. As for the music itself, it transcends critical review. There are so many towering classics here—by Nelson ("Crazy," "On The Road Again"), Cash ("Folsom Prison Blues," "Don't Take Your Guns To Town"), and others ("(Ghost) Riders In The Sky")—that it's virtually impossible to quibble with the selections or performances. Both are brilliant. This is the first in a series of VH1 Storytellers CD, and it's hard to imagine it ever being anything but the best.