Rosanne Cash - Interiors

Rosanne Cash has one of the finest, most pure voices in country music (perhaps in all music),and it's a crying shame that's she's never really received the recognition she deserves from the genre. Her hits have been few and far between, as though country music really has never known what to do with her, other than hail her for her famous father. But Rosanne is so much more than famous relations, and it's good to hear her again in these brand-new remastered editions of some of her finest albums.

When I listen to Rosanne Cash sing, I'm at once awed and deeply disappointed. Awed because her voice is so magnificent to listen to, her lyrics deep and thoughtful, her melodies extraordinary; disappointed because there are country radio DJs out there who totally ignore her existence and refer to a non-singer like Faith Hill as the "queen of country music." Why Rosanne Cash has never been recognized as the incredible singer she is boggles my mind. "Interiors," her album from 1990, produced no major hits; however, as a study in relationships (both personal and worldly), it's a brilliant artistic piece.

"Interiors" marks the beginning of Rosanne's stretching herself as an artist, breaking away from the Nashville traditions that had bound her. Although she did produce more than twenty top-40 hits prior to 1990, she never truly achieved the recognition she most definitely deserves. Despite Grammy Awards, over the years she's received only 11 CMA nominations, with no wins. No matter. Rosanne, like others who perform exquisite music that Nashville eschews, delivers music that may not be "chart-topping," but is meaningful, and true.

There's only one song on "Interiors" which Rosanne herself did not write or co-write, "All Come True" was written by Karl Wallinger. The album features Mark O'Connor playing violin on several tracks, and Rodney Crowell joins his then-wife for a duet on "On The Surface." "Interiors" is an exquisite album, and most deserving of a renewed listen.