Johnny Cash would’ve been a legend regardless, but 1994’s American Recordings brought the singer a late-career renaissance with a formula that many have since tried to emulate. With Rick Rubin on board as producer/guru, Cash turned in his most stripped-down, emotional set in decades, and the album—his 81st!—stands among his best. He’d end up making six volumes, all quite good, and earning respect among younger generations in the process. (An incredible Nine Inch Nails cover didn’t hurt.) In subsequent years, everybody from Donovan to Mavis Staples to Neil Diamond to Al Green has tried to map out a similar path by working with better or hipper producers, covering unexpected songs, and generally trying to reboot or reclaim their sounds—with varying degrees of success. Here are 18 that we think should seriously consider shaking up their current formulas.
1. Chuck Berry
In a rare interview, Bob Dylan was asked whether there was anyone he considered a bigger legend, musically, than himself. He named only Chuck Berry, saying, “In my universe, Chuck is irreplaceable… All that brilliance is still there, and he’s still a force of nature.” Sixty years after “Maybellene” topped the R&B charts, it’s easy to think of Berry as a punchline from Back To The Future, or someone who recorded “Johnny B. Goode” and contributed little else. But Berry is one of three people who could credibly claim to have invented rock ’n’ roll, and his work as a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter provided the bedrock for modern music—so influential we barely realize it’s there. He performed weekly near his home outside St. Louis for decades until taking a break for the first time at age 88, but Berry hasn’t released a studio album since 1979. Like Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry is indisputably a legend, still a capable performer, and reaching the end of a long career. Given the right material, one last flurry of albums could be incredible. [Mike Vago]
2. James Taylor
In an interview with The A.V. Club back in 2010, producer Peter Asher admitted that he overdid it with the fancy orchestral arrangements on James Taylor’s 1968 Apple Records debut LP, because he thought to himself, “This guy is so good, I must make them listen.” After the album stiffed commercially, Asher stripped down Taylor’s sound for the follow-up, Sweet Baby James, which became a huge hit and featured Taylor’s best-loved song, “Fire And Rain.” Asher would carry that lesson with him as he went on to produce 1970s country-rock classics for the likes of Linda Ronstadt, J.D. Souther, and Tony Joe White, but over the decades Taylor’s style has gotten slicker and softer, which isn’t often the best way to frame a voice that’s already pillowy. He and Asher should get back together and shoot for something like 1972’s rough, offbeat One Man Dog, a collection of bluesy fragments and sketches that’s a fine example of how Taylor can be both playful and earthy. [Noel Murray]
3. Toots Hibbert
Though he’s 72, Toots Hibbert’s voice has barely diminished—it’s nearly as raw and soulful as it was during the reggae pioneer’s youth. But like many of reggae’s aging greats, Hibbert’s recent albums have begged for some sense of direction. They’ve been bogged down by too many producers, too many musicians, and too many conflicting sounds. They lack the simple confidence of Hibbert’s early run of records with Toots And The Maytals, which more or less just dropped Hibbert in a studio and let him do his thing. In theory it shouldn’t be too hard to recapture that old, session feel: Just assign him a take-charge producer who’ll keep the focus where it belongs, on Hibbert’s voice. There’s no shortage of young producers in Jamaica’s new roots scene that would be up for that task, but if Hibbert is looking to go the veteran route there’s always Sly and Robbie, reggae’s most accomplished production duo. They’ve worked with Hibbert just once, on 1988’s Toots In Memphis, and not coincidentally, it was one of his last great albums. [Evan Rytlewski]
4. Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers’ most recent output has been as pulled and strained as his now-overly worked face. His 2011 record, The Love Of God, came out on the undoubtedly very reputable Cracker Barrel Records, while his 2012 record, Amazing Grace, trod similarly god-inspired territory. 2013’s You Can’t Make Old Friends was nothing to write home about either, but it produced one gem that gave a glimpse at what Rogers’ career could still be. The title track found Rogers once again paired up with Dolly Parton, and while the two are still fond of heavy production and coy turns of phrase, “You Can’t Make Old Friends” was still heartfelt and personal, a song sung by friends about their parallel lives. It made both Rogers and Parton seem human again, reminding listeners that they’re not just icons—they’re also people. If Rogers could tap into that very human vein again for future material, it could remind even his most casual fans that he’s more than just “The Gambler.” [Marah Eakin]
5. ZZ Top
The best and worst thing to happen to ZZ Top was the success of the 1983 album Eliminator, with its futuristic synthesizers and goofy videos. That record secured the group’s rock ’n’ roll legacy, but also won over scores of new fans who assumed that’s how this veteran Texas boogie band was supposed to sound. In 1987, Warner Bros. even released a box set of ZZ Top’s classic 1970s albums, remixed to sound more like Eliminator. Over the past decade or so, the group has gotten back to the hard electric blues of its past, and even worked with American Recordings mastermind Rick Rubin on its last LP, 2012’s very good La Futura. But even that set came across a little labored. ZZ Top would be better served working next with someone younger, like Jack White, or maybe even the guys from Japandroids: people who understand guitars, grooves, and pinning listeners to the wall. [Noel Murray]
6. The Roches
In Greil Marcus’ book Invisible Republic, he talks about Bob Dylan and The Band drawing from a mysterious folk tradition that bubbled up from what Marcus called “the old, weird America,” a place before highways and chain restaurants, and where local idiosyncrasy ruled the day. Among the last surviving musical residents of that mostly forgotten country are Maggie, Terre, and Suzzy Roche, a sister act that has been harmonizing on folk music and its own originals since the 1970s. While the trio never reached a mass audience, they’re considered legends within the folk scene. While the family (including Suzzy’s daughter Lucy Wainwright Roche) have been recording in ones and twos in recent years, the Roches haven’t performed as a trio outside of New York City since 1997, and have released only one proper album since then. While their song “We” famously insisted “we don’t give out our ages, or our phone numbers,” the sisters are at least in their 60s, and as with Cash, there’s a sense that an important part of our musical history could be preserved simply by booking the Roches some studio time and rolling tape. [Mike Vago]
7. Rakim
Hip-hop is often criticized for ignoring its past, valuing only the exciting and new. But if there’s anyone from the genre’s past who deserves honoring, it’s Rakim. He and innovative DJ Eric B were one of the most influential partnerships in music, releasing four classic albums in hip-hop’s late-’80s golden age before infighting led to a court battle and the partnership’s dissolution. Rakim’s solo career got off to a promising start with two well-regarded solo albums in the late ’90s, but the 21st century has not been kind. A Dr. Dre-produced album was shelved in 2003, and Rakim’s follow-up was delayed for three years, before he finally self-released it in 2009 and it sold just 12,000 copies. In recent years, the man some consider the greatest MC of all time has been reduced to performing and releasing one-off collaborations with the likes of Linkin Park and DMX. But line up some better collaborators, hype this year’s 25th anniversary of Let The Rhythm Hit ’Em, and Rakim could be back to household name status in no time. [Mike Vago]
8. Smokey Robinson
Like a lot of aging superstar musicians, Smokey Robinson has settled into the part of his career where he records duets and oldies covers, usually with production that sounds either awkwardly contemporary or old-fashioned and snoozy. Robinson has one of R&B’s greatest voices, which has gotten a little deeper and weirder in recent years, and he was the Motown songwriter with the sharpest pop sensibility. It’d be tempting to throw Robinson in a room with Mark Ronson, Damon Albarn, or Dan Auerbach (the latter two of whom have had success revivifying Bobby Womack and Dr. John, respectively). But Robinson doesn’t need to be modernized or funked up. Instead, someone should put him in touch with Eg White, whose work with Adele, Sam Smith, and Joss Stone is notable for its simplicity and its sense of atmosphere. Imagine what White could do for the man who wrote “Ooo Baby Baby” and “Being With You.” [Noel Murray]