Search - Rosanne Cash :: Interiors

A Classic, Regardless of Genre.

WILLIE A YOUNG II | Houston, TX. | 06/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard this haunting, spare masterpiece more than a decade ago, and I still can't get it off my mind. From the naked acoustic strumming of the opener "On The Inside" and the words "I crawled night and day, through tears and debris.." the listener is led on a graphic and painfully detailed journey into Rosanne's heart of darkness. Her attempts to "..get off this misery go 'round" make for fascinating listening. The music is stripped down to it's bare essentials, guitar, mandolin, upright bass (especially prominent on the eerily beautiful "Dance With The Tiger": a GREAT instrumental coda!)lightly brushed drums and piano, sometimes all on one track, other times, just one instrument at a time, in either instance, the simplicity works to stunning effect. The lyrics seem to detail the dissolution of a marriage (perhaps her's to singer Rodney Crowell?), and leave very little to the imagination. While she lacks the brutal directness of say, John Lennon in his prime, her affinity for making complex emotions ("I Need A Cure", "Paralyzed", "On The Surface") sound accessible, immediate and even hooky ("Real Woman", "What We Really Want") is a true gift. This is Rosanne Cash's best work. She's made prettier and more popular records, but never a better one than "Interiors". This is the star in her musical crown. Never again was she just "Johnny's Daughter". Find this LP, you'll be richly rewarded."

"Interiors" Warns of the Darkness of the Heart

T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 03/25/2004

(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."

This is to music what Pyscho is to Movies

EricPost | Chicago, IL USA | 06/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD will give you nightmares. Oh don't get me wrong, there is only one word for this CD -- BRILLIANT. But as I lay on the beach listening to this CD I couldn't help but wonder, what this poor girl went thru to be able to write such hauntingly beautiful, but disturbing songs. From "This World" she writes about a father murdering his child "He put a fist in her face." It thrills you the way you don't want to take a shower after watching Pyscho. Every song packs image after image. This is more poetry put to music than music itself. I cannot express how amazed I am at this CDs brilliance. However this CD is NOT for casual Rosanne Cash fans. With the exception of "On The Inside and possibly "Mirror Image," the songs on it do not have much commercial appeal but their artist merit is beyond reproach. If Shakespeare could write a modern CD it would sound exactly like this. It really makes you wonder what her life was like at the time she wrote this. Again BRILLIANT."