Very Best of
Johnny Cash's eldest daughter has certainly come far from her days apprenticing in his stage show. An earnest late-'70s country rocker, she evolved into a sophisticated singer-songwriter whose blend of traditional country and mainstream folk and literate, dark worldview anticipated alt.country decades before it emerged. This 1983-2003 anthology includes her debut hit "No Memories Hangin' 'Round," a 1979 duet with Bobby Bare. While "My Baby Thinks He's a Train," the 1981 rockabilly twanger first recorded by Asleep at the Wheel, seemed to herald a retro direction, Cash confounded those who would speculate on her direction. She complemented compelling originals like "Seven Year Ache" and "Blue Moon with Heartache" with her definitive rendition of John Hiatt's "The Way We Make a Broken Heart" and a crisp revival of her dad's 1961 hit "Tennessee Flat Top Box." The set also samples her songwriting collaborations with former husband Rodney Crowell and current husband-producer John Leventhal. For those just discovering the second generation of Cash talent, this is an enlightening start.--Rich KienzleRecommended Rosanne CashSeven Year AcheKing's Record ShopInteriors