Black Cadillac

by

Rosanne Cash

Edit

Rosanne Cash has had a tough time of it lately. In the space of 24 months, her step-mother, father and mother passed away--the latter on Rosanne's 50th birthday.

This album is a meditation on loss, but it's also about how one's loved ones are always present, living or dead.

The first voice you hear on this album is that of Rosanne's father, the great Johnny Cash. Yet, the album is never mawkish or too sentimental. Instead, the music supports the powerful lyrics. "I Was Watching You" is a classic for the ages; "House on The Lake" sounds like a lament influenced by the Delta blues. The title song is truly a keeper.

At the same time, we hear an agrier Rosanne than we are used to. From "Burn Down This Town" to "Like Fugitives", Ms. Cash is angrier than we have heard her, to good effect.

The production, by Bill Botrell and John Leventhal, supports and uplifts the music. The production is unobtrusive in songs like "House on the Lake", but brings texture to songs, as in the title tune, where trumpets evoke Johnny Cash's recording of "Ring of Fire".

Rosanne is consistently able to evoke the sadness, despair and striving that we all experience. All in all, this album is one of the strongest in the Rosanne Cash canon, proving to be a dark partner to "Interiors".

I think RC is a reasonable singer with a pleasant velvety voice which also has a satisfying emotional edge. The songs here don't have particularly strong 'radio friendly' melodies; rather, the melodic content derives from the subtlety and poignancy of RC's writing (however, I did think that 2 or 3 songs were somewhat bland). The production and arrangements (Bill Bottrell/John Leventhal) are sumptuous yet restrained and the playing by the session musicians is very tasteful.

The major strength of this album lies with the lyrics. These are introspective, reflecting the emotional impact of events in RC's life (notably, the deaths of her parents, stepmother and stepsister, all within a short space of time) - they evoke a mood of, on the one hand, sombre melancholy and, on the other, optimistic spirituality. It is, by no means, a depressing or maudlin set of songs, but neither is it music you would play to cheer yourself up. However some people, who have experienced a similar personal tragedy in their lives, might find this album comforting and reassuring.

My favourite tracks are :- 'I Was Watching You', 'Burn Down This Town', 'House On The Lake', and 'The World Unseen'; the remaining tracks feature fine lyrics and some nice instrumental accompaniment but, other than this, I thought they were unexceptional ('Black Cadillac' and 'Dreams Are Not My Home' being the best of these, perhaps) .

This could have been a very ordinary album, but it is 'rescued' by some potent lyrics, fine musical arrangements and sensitive playing. I quite liked the album in parts but it is, conceptually, a bit too 'dark' for me and I am not sure whether I would buy any others by RC. No doubt though, it will have a much stronger appeal to many listeners. Despite my reservations (which are, inevitably, subjective), there can be little doubt that this album has the stamp of 'quality popular music' on it. The lyrics are worth 5 stars but, overall, I can only justify a 3 star rating.