Johnny Cash's son has defended the family's decision to release a fourth posthumous album of the late star's music, insisting they are providing a service to fans rather than just cashing in on the iconic singer's legacy.

A new collection of previously unheard songs, which were recorded in the early 1980s, is to be released in March (14) under the title Out Among the Stars.

The release marks the latest posthumous offering to hit shelves since Cash's death in 2003, but the singer's son, John Carter Cash, who discovered the tracks in an archive, insists executors of the estate are keeping fans' wishes as their top priority.

He tells the Bbc, "My father's music is for the people... Does the estate make money off Johnny Cash records? Yes. Would the world be a darker place if his music wasn't here? I believe so. Do you want to see another Picasso if there's one that nobody has ever seen before? I would say that probably the world would want to see another Picasso. And it's really the same thing. This is a work of art."

Carter Cash goes on to reveal there are plenty more recordings left to be released, including live and studio tracks and even duets with Bob Dylan, which he stumbled across while archiving his father's material.

He adds, "There is more music to be released that is unheard. There are some great recordings."