The List

2009 album from Johnny Cash's enormously talented singing/songwriting daughter. The List features Rosanne's contemporary interpretations of songs from a list of essential Country songs passed on to her by her legendary father. Featuring duet partners Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright, and Jeff Tweedy. 12 tracks.

Rosanne Cash was my favorite "country" female vocalist during the 1980's with her brillant string of country/rock songs that seemed to hit number one on the country charts with every single release. She was as big any female star during this era and yet she had never really chased fame, she was just a singer-songwriter who happened to be damn popular. Then suddenly after a decade of enormous success things drastically changed in both Rosanne's personal and professional life; her divorce from Rodney Crowell (who produced her records) and a drastic shift in her music from pop-rock flavored mainstream country music to a brooding folk/rock. The critics applauded but to many of Rosanne's longtime fans, it was almost as if she had divorced us as well, her music was still thoughtful and well-crafted but it was it if she was pointedly making it for new audience in a new arena. Since 1990 she has released five of these albums, which have sold dramatically less than her country work, a genre she seemed eager to shake off at the time.

Certain things are in one's blood and soul, however, and being the daughter of Johnny Cash, country music will always be a part of her. In 1973 when she was a teenager, she accompanied Cash on one of his concert tours and the country legend was startled to learn how many legendary country songs his California-raised daughter was unfamiliar with. He sat down and compiled a list of the 100 greatest country songs ever written and encouraged Rosanne to seek them out. A few years ago, Rosanne found the old handwritten list and was inspired to record this album, THE LIST, her first collection of covers from songs that were named on the paper. From Jimmie Rodgers MISS THE MISSISSIPPI AND YOU to Hank Williams' TAKE THESE CHAINS FROM MY HEART to Patsy Cline's SHE'S GOT YOU, Rosanne sounds completely as at home with this material as she is with her own songs. performing most of them in a stripped-down country-folk manner, often accompanied just by husband-producer John Leventhal on guitar. A few of the songs feature harmony singing from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, and Rufus Wainwright but these are not conventional duets. Indeed, Rosanne gives new life to every track with these new arrangements from a bluesy cover of Hank Snow's I'M MOVIN' ON to a new spin on Ray Price's HEARTACHES BY THE NUMBER. She turns Danny Gill and Marijohn Wilkin's unforgettable LONG BLACK VEIL (a 1950's hit for Lefty Frizzell) into the 19th century folk song many believe it is, complete with retaining the song's male first person telling, something rarely done in country music since some of Sara Carter's vocals back in the 1920's (Rosanne similarly sings Bob Dylan's "The Girl From North Country" as it was written for a male vocalist). There is a legitimate 19th century "traditional" folk song on the album, the ever haunting MOTHERLESS CHILDREN as well as one of the Carter Family's greatest songs, BURY ME BENEATH THE WILLOW.

In this album, Rosanne finds a brillant, seamless marriage between her pre and post 1990 work, one that should satisfy every one of her fans and surely win her many new admirers. Not doubt it's already starting to do this, having hit number one on Amazon.com's Best Sellers list of all CD's. This is a outstanding recording. I think it's the best album of Rosanne's career - to date. It certainly seems to be the opening of a new door in the career of this 54-year-old artist.

Rosanne has always been one of the finest female vocalists of any genre of the last several decades, yet here she proves she is able to brillantly intrepret legendary songs as well as her own original compositions. And to having her recording "country" again is like a dream come true for many of her most devoted admirers. Heck, you can even get this collection on Vinyl LP at Amazon!! Thomas Wolfe was somewhat incorrect; sometimes you can go home again.