SPS@aquila.gc.cuny.edu (Scott Schnackenberg) (06/14/91)
Rosanne Cash - 'Interiors'
Johnny's daughter has produced a disc that is one of 1990s finest,
but because she is too hip for the country crowd and too old
fashioned for the rockers it seemed to slip through the cracks. In
the past Rosanne has liberally sprinkled her work with covers of
songs by crack songwriters like John Hiatt ('The Way We Make a
Broken Heart'), but for 'Interiors' she trusts her considerable
songwriting gifts and does only her own material. The melodies are
extremely infectious and hold up well with repeated listening --
nothing has made more appearances on my walkman over the past few
months to smooth my long train rides to and from work.
The set of songs work well as a group. One might even say that
this is one of those dreaded 'concept albums' where the themes
presented in one song inform those from another. The landscape
that Cash is exploring is the emotional toll of marriage and long
term relationships, and she does so with brutal honesty. To my
mind the parallels between this disc and Bruce Springsteen's
'Tunnel of Love' are rather stunning. Both feature a spartan
mixture of electric and acoustic instrumentation, explore issues
surrounding the renewal and dissolution of relationships, and have
a relentless bunch of strong melodies. To take the comparison even
further, the best track on each ('Brilliant Disguise' for Bruce,
'On the Surface' for Rosanne) deals with the way that the exterior
that we show the world can mask the troubles inside.
Besides 'On the Surface' (which features backing vocals by hubby
Rodney Crowell), stellar tracks include the rocking 'On the
Inside', the lovely acoustic 'Dance With the Tiger', and two tunes
('Land of Nightmares' and 'Paralyzed') carried by Cash's voice
backed by piano and violin. The lone clunker is 'This World',
which despite its graceful melody is undone by awkward lyrics that
overreach in an attempt to make a social statement.
If you are someone who values contemporary female singer-
songwriters like Suzanne Vega and Tracy Chapman, you should find
much to appreciate on this disc. To my sensibilities Cash is a
more accomplished singer (and writer!) than either of these two
acclaimed artists.
Rating: 9.5 on the 10 point scale
----
Scott Schnackenberg sps@aquila.gc.cuny.edu