Search - Rosanne Cash :: Country Side

Outstanding collection of incredible performances.

Matt Coker | Davis, CA, USA | 01/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Columbia Records makes no secret that THE COUNTRY SIDE is a budget collection. However, Rosanne Cash's marvelous talent is constantly displayed throughout the album. The album is entertaining, but the performances are exceptional. Rosanne Cash has always been the most careful performers in her arena, closely watching sequences and vigilantly chosing her material. THE COUNTRY SIDE focus' on Cash's Country period from 1979-1987, where she was a successful performer, and brilliant interpretive singer. This is also the period chronicled six years earlier in HITS 1979-1989, and two years later in SUPER HITS. Three songs come from her impressive debut, also one of her best interpretive collections, RIGHT OR WRONG. "Right Or Wrong" is a country-flavored pop song, and a terrific one. Rodney Crowell's "Anybody's Darling (Anything But Mine)" is one of the best vocal performances of Cash's career. She does a wonderous and fun version of Johnny Cash's "Big River". From the breakthrough classic SEVEN YEAR ACHE there is her majestic version of "You Don't Have Very Far To Go", I have no idea why this wasn't a hit single. The #1 hit "My Baby Thinks He's A Train" closes the album on a wild uptempo note. SOMEWHERE IN THE STARS, her fantastic 1982 release, there is the terrific version of John Hiatt's "It Hasn't Happened Yet". The interesting story of romance is remarkably told in "Third Rate Romance". Tom T. Hall's "That's How I Got To Memphis" is classic, again it should have been a hit. The only original song on the album comes from the milestone album RHTYHM AND ROMANCE is "My Old Man", an outstanding song. The album opens with the #1 hit version of Johnny Cash's "Tennessee Flat Top Box" from her last Nashville album KING'S RECORD SHOP. THE COUNTRY SIDE offers the opportunity to get acquainted with material ignored by hits collections. For infinite enjoyment, I highly recommend purchasing her exceptional albums from this period RIGHT OR WRONG, SEVEN YEAR ACHE, SOMEWHERE IN THE STARS, RHTYHM AND ROMANCE, and KING'S RECORD SHOP. Still, THE COUNTRY SIDE is a terrific colleciton, and will bring a lot of enjoyment."