By the early '70s, Johnny Cash had secured his place in contemporary music as an artist who could appeal to an unusually wide audience. A Thing Called Love reflects the breadth of his musical range, as well as his affection for vivid, character-driven lyrics. The key track here is the Jerry Reed–composed title song, an inspirational number that matches Cash’s jaunty lead vocal with the soaring tones of The Evangel Temple Choir. The rest of the album leans toward portraits and snapshots from the American South, with a strong spiritual undercurrent. Cash offers his own “Tear Stained Letter” (a wistful ballad with an old-time feel), while his wife, June Carter Cash, contributes “Mississippi Sand” (a story-song driven by a boom-chicka-boom beat) and “The Miracle Man” (a personal testimony set to a classic gospel melody). Songs by outside writers like “Melva’s Wine,” “Papa Was a Good Man,” and “Daddy” touch on similar themes of faith, family, and mortality. The Man in Black flashes his rascally side on Red Lane’s “Arkansas Lovin’ Man,” a tune that recaptures some of his early rockabilly sound.