Search - Rosanne Cash :: Interiors (Reis)

Cash Offers A Sublime Look at the "Interiors" of Bleakness

T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 12/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Prime Cuts: What We Really Want, Paralyzed, On the Inside



Before there was Shania Twain and hubby Robert Lange, there was Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell. Crowell in his artistic and commercial ingenuity has produced and/or written a fleet of hits for then-wife Cash. Jointly, they have managed to lock in 10 country chart toppers through the 80s. On this sixth release, Cash dutifully thanks her man again for his "inspiration, love and partnership." If art truly reflects nature, and if Crowell really inspired these songs (which lean towards marital discord), then indeed trouble must had been on the line. In hindsight, this might have been true as the Cash-Crowell marriage did crumble months after this release.



"Interiors" is an aptly titled album. These ten songs unearth the emotional shoals that lurk beneath the surface of human politeness, gentility and superficiality. The utter lack of pretense and the confessional honesty in these songs flies in the face of the shallowness of what is passed along on country radio as hits. The album starts off on a good start with the perky "On the Inside." Setting the thematic pace for the album, "On the Inside" deals with the viciousness of betrayal and hurt. Similar in subject matter is "On the Surface." Though set at a slower tempo, "On the Surface" is disturbingly a duet with Crowell! Were they singing this song to each other?



Lead single, "What We Really Want," is again an introverted number. This time it deals with a desperate plea for personal intimacy. Melodically, "What We Really Want" is upbeat, radio friendly and not dissimilar to Cash's previous hit "Second to No One." It is also Cash's last shot at the country charts (peaking at number 19) before she called it truce with country music altogether. On the other hand, "I Want a Cure," is on the other extreme. It is essentially a rock song that Steve Nicks would be proud to call her own. "I Want to Cure" is proleptic of Cash's later rock oriented efforts. Not to be missed though is the excellent guitar solo from Steuart Smith on this number.



John Stewart, who wrote Cash's number 1 hit "Runaway Train," returns with the philosophical co-write, "Dance with the Tiger." "Dance with the Tiger" is by no means as catchy and it's a tad too metaphorical for radio appeal. Much better is "Real Woman." "Real Woman" is a female emancipation anthem bringing a temporal relief to this dark shadowy album. If released as a single, "Real Woman" could posit Cash back to country's lofty heights.



The album has two nerve wrecking moments. Those faint of heart had better be warned-"This World" has some gruesome lines about a father murdering his child in cold blood. Accompanied by a plaintive string arrangement, "This World" is a touching social commentary on the disintegration of the morals of our society. Things don't get more optimistic with the album's closer, "Paralyzed." Scanty clad only by a keyboard, here we have Cash's naked unnerving vocals recalling overhearing a phone conversation between her husband and his lover. This is spine chilling stuff-betrayal in its most atrocious form.



"Interiors" is definitely an album that needs to be listened with the right frame of mind. It can be far too depressingly to know that the human heart is dark and deceitful. But it's also the bravest and the most honest album Cash has had ever made. "Interiors" might not have awarded her as many charted singles as her previous album, but it has certainly won Cash critically accolades and acclaims. And I might add, rightly so."

Amazon set list is wrong

Peter Stekel | Washington | 03/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know what amazon's set list refers to but it DOES NOT refer to Cash's Interiors."

Great Remaster of a Great Disk

R. M. Ettinger | Cleveland Heights, OH USA | 11/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Seemingly off-course by Cash's previous efforts and the only disk that is written and produced almost entirely by herself. Abandonment becomes the theme of the music and the record in general.



Musically the material is or could be based on the failure of Cash's marriage, but just as much is in regards to the failure of her parent's marriage decades earlier. The songs are bleak ("This World", "Dance w/the Tiger"), to the point ("Paralyzed", "Mirror Image") and microscopically hopeful ("I Want A Cure", "What We Really Want").



'Interiors' is also the most consistent album Cash has ever recorded and probably speaks to her true artistry than anything she's done. It's a shame she hasn't taken the helm of more her albums. Cash has captured her own songs better than anyone who has produced her previously.



Sony completely abandoned marketing of 'Interiors' when they realized it wouldn't produce four #1 hits like her previous disk and it failed to fall into any category. Nashville pretty much abandoned Cash too - but their loss was the gain for anyone who found this recording.



The quality of the remaster is superior to the original release. As for extras, this remaster didn't really need them - but we got them. I'm a huge fan of the two deleted tracks, Cash's own "Portrait" and a cover of World Party's "All Come True" - and have enjoyed them for years, but now that they are in sequence and that I'm used to this disk for the last 15 years, they seem out of place. They are still great tracks.



The two live cuts are great. Pristine and understated recordings. Very nice touch. It's not the easiest disk to listen to - but one I have enjoyed over the years and one I recommend whole heartedly.



The remaster is now copywrite protected, but I had no issue playing it my car, my laptop, ripping it to iTunes or loading to my iPod."