Search - Rosanne Cash :: Retrospective

One of the most important artists in music history!

Matt Coker | Davis, CA, USA | 02/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"RETROSPECTIVE was designed to be a closing statement of Rosanne Cash's sixteen remarkable years on Columbia Records. Rosanne Cash was certainly the most important artist to emerge in the 1980s and is one of the most valuable artists in the history of contemporary music. From the flawless interpretive Country albums she recorded in the 1980s to her riveting all-original releases in the 1990s, Cash has proven herself to be a master at recorded craft, and her exceptional catalog proves it (or whats left of her valuable catalog). RETROSPECTIVE is a companion piece to 1989's HITS 1979-1989, but is a CD with a different feel and purpose. It includes the smaller hits from Cash's last three interpretive albums, three songs each from INTERIORS and THE WHEEL, two outtakes, a live recording, a song from a tribute album, and two new recordings. These fifteen songs are a treasure chest of incredible music. Cash writes an introduction included in the liner notes about her experiences making this music. I'd love to take her advice about buying her old albums, but thanks to the Sony Music Executive(s) who have screws loose, only two of her original albums remain available. Considering these albums are packed with some of the best Country music ever released, Sony's actions are unacceptable, not to mention remarkably dumb. Cash is such an expert singer she makes Faith Hill and Shania Twain and company look pretty ordinary. But as terrific as she is an interpreter, she's even better as a writer.-----------------------------------------------------------------RETROSPECTIVE opens with a stunning cover of Elvis Costello's "Our Little Angel". Cssh's delivery is stunning, she is in complete command of the song. "On The Surface" comes from the outstanding INTERIORS, Cash presents a brilliant evaluation of human reactions and fronts. Rosanne Cash has developed into a songwriter on the par with 1960s Bob Dylan. "All Come True" is an outtake from INTERIORS available though on INTERIORS:THE FULL SESSIONS a CD available for a very, very short time. "The Wheel", the title track to Cash's 1993 masterpiece, has a remarkable pop production, from John Leventhal, which perfectly complements Cash's songwriting. "Sleeping In Paris" also from THE WHEEL is a beautiful song, with riveting emotional lyrics. "707" is an outtake from KING'S RECORD SHOP, which Cash has recorded in concert, another Kilzer song "Green Yellow And Red" was released on KING'S RECORD SHOP. "Runaway Train", released on KING'S RECORD SHOP, is one of the greatest performances in the history of Country and Rock musics. There was a fourth #1 on KING'S RECORD SHOP "If You Change Your Mind" which wasn't released on a compilation until 1998. Until I listened to RETROSPECTIVE I thought it was impossible to cut The Beatles' "I'm Only Sleeping" to be even half as good as the original. Cash has done it, and it's almost superior to the Beatles original. "It Hasn't Happened Yet" is a masterful interpretation, as Cash began covering John Hiatt in 1982, "It Hasn't Happened Yet" is about the second best, tied with "The Way We Make A Broken Heart". Many listeners familiar with 1970s and early 1980s country music might notice the names of the musicians: four were members of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band and almost all of them worked with Harris, including Rosanne Cash and producer Rodney Crowell. "On The Inside" was the riveting opener to INTERIORS, and it sounds perfect, a flawless example of introspective songwriting. "What We Really Want" was Cash's last major hit, it's a fantastic song. "i Count The Tears" is another brilliant interpretion, recorded for a Doc Pomus tribute album, Cash definately hasn't lost her touch. One of Cash's most awesome recordings is John Hiatt's "Pink Bedroom" recorded for RHYTHM AND ROMANCE. The guitar work is incredible and Cash's vocal performance is deinitive. "Seventh Avenue" should really be a pop classic, penned by Rosanne Cash and John Levanthal for THE WHEEL. Cash's singing is perfect. "A Lover Is Forever" is a bluesy live recording, the appeal lies in Cash's vocal strengths and delivery, she records it with only a guitar and bass backing.----------------------------------------------------------------Since most of Cash's extraordinary aalbums don't have pages on Amazon, because Sony Music screwed up and pulled them from print. I'd thought I'd write briefly about what Sony Music is cheating us out of:***RIGHT OR WRONG***: For a debut album, Cash's singing is better than almost any performer I can think of. Her most beautiful album, a flawless treasure.***SEVEN YEAR ACHE***: One of the greatest Country albums of all time. An important blueprint for 1990s Country. Like most originals, SEVEN YEAR ACHE is superior to about 97% of the Country CDs released in the 1990s.***SOMEWHERE IN THE STARS***: Of all Cash's work this beautiful release has the most traditional flavor, yet is throughly contemporary and highly enjoyable.***RHYTHM & ROMANCE***: A sizzling masterpiece. Cash perfected the seamless Country and Rock merger 10 years before Shania Twain's THE WOMAN IN ME.***KING'S RECORD SHOP***: A brilliant meditation on Country and Rock that produced four #1 singles! Again a perfect merger of what was once two very distinct styles.***INTERIORS***: One of the greatest CDs released in the 1990s. A fascinating document on the disintergration of a dysfunctional relationship. Cash's writing is magnifiscent.***THE WHEEL***: My favorite Rosanne Cash album. A forty-five minute musical journey through extraordinary songs and brillaint production. THE WHEEL is 10 times better than any other adult contemporary CD I've heard in the 1990s and about 25 times more exhillerating.-----------------------------------------------------------------If you've never heard Rosanne Cash or if you're a long time fan, you're in for a real treat. RETORSPECTIVE comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED."

Fantastic!

Matt Coker | 08/06/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having long been a fan of Roseanne Cash;I picked this cd up when I noticed one of the tracks is "I'm Only Sleeping",her remake of the Beatles classic. She did a great job with this and every other song on the album, it makes a great companion to her Greatest Hits cd and all her others,for that matter."