Customer Reviews

10 Song Demo

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Five stars may be excessive if you judge this CD alongside the greatest classics, but when compared to similar CDs within the singer-songwriter folk-rock genre, this beautifully simple and powerful collection really shines. I find myself coming back to this CD more often than to many better-known classics because it has a freshness and originality that sustain interest. The writing, while occasionally a bit awkward, is consistently interesting, honest and moving. The themes of introspection, nostalgia, regret, and defiance are presented in a searingly personal manner. The song "If I Were a Man" is a rich celeration of the wonders women bring to relationships and the world; "Child of Steel" plucks the heartstrings with an achingly wistful delicacy; and "Take my Body" is a strong lament about the objectification of women. I especially love the pared-down guitar arrangements; the simplicity really works with Ms. Cash's strong vocals and makes me wish some of my other favorite vocalists would occasionally just get back to basic guitar accompaniments. I've seen Ms. Cash perform live and, while she has other hits that may be more popular, this collection reveals her unique brilliance.

When I originally purchased '10 Song Demo' I was disappointed. I knew the songwriting was there, but the execution seemed a bit lacking. I knew the songs weren't really demos, but my hesitation came from thinking "these would be REALLY good if they were fleshed out".

What I came to realize is just how brilliant the album actually is. Obviously the arrangement are sparse, but that turns out to be a blessing. What it does is REALLY showcase the songwriting for which Cash does not get enough credit. But her vocals really carry the songs - especially songs like "Bells & Roses", "I Want to Know" and "Child of Steel". Not all might be her strongest vocals - but they convey the emotion of the song.

FYI 1 - "Western Wall" also appears on Cash's 2003 release 'Rules of Travel' and is almost identical the version on '10 Song Demo'.

FYI 2 - Cash's short stories, "Bodies of Water", is a great companion piece to this cd.

It's bare, emotional, raw, and acoustic. Rosanne's voice has never sounded better. The producer of the demos doesn't overproduce her, which is great. The songs are the focus and each of them is a masterpiece. I've told friends that this is the country version of Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes CD: Every song is a rollercoaster of self-discovery. Be sure to pick up the companion book, Bodies of Water by Rosanne. She proves she's as good a writer as a singer. One of my favorite books. And this is one of my favorite CDs. If the brilliant Wrecking Ball is Emmylou Harris' signature CD, then this is Rosanne's.

This is an extraordinary disk. All eleven songs have the kind of lyrical power and melodic originality that the echo in your mind long after they are over. It would be a disservice to the others to single out any as standouts, but suffice to say that there aren't many singer songwriters who could pen a song as brutally candid as "Take This Body." The decision to work with the original album demo was inspired. Although some of the tracks are enhanced with extra guitars and rhythm instruments, in all the lean, disciplined arrangements never get in the way of Rosanne's songwriting and singing. With songs this good, the less you notice the arrangements the better. It feels as though Rosanne is sitting in your living room pouring her heart out to the guitar top. Magnificent.

First things first, don't expect REAL "songwriting demos"...there's more than just Cash and her acoustic here. Perhaps a fairer way to name it would be "No overdubs allowed" as they do keep it fairly basic..only "I Want to Know" features any backing vocals, otherwise you get Rosanne and only Rosanne. Electric guitar is kept restrained, more for tremeloed "atmosphere" than actual licks. Synthesizers likewise are usually just gauzy padding rather than in-your-face tinkling.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"If I Were a Man" finds Rosanne insisting she would "give me everything I need/I'd be so glad to go this deep/if I were a man". Were the lyrics as consistently compelling as this all the way through, I'd be singing the praises of this CD as much as others here. "Bells and Roses" finds Cash straining to achieve true intimacy despite its treacherous difficulties. ("If you see who I really am/Will you still want to stay?...There's a danger in this love/And I wanna be that brave"). A brushed snare shuffle leads us into "List of Burdens" is a plea to her lover not to consider her life on the road a torture ("Don't put my love on your list of burdens/When I'm bringing it home to you"). "Just Don't Talk about it" is Rosanne crumbling after a breakup. ("Where is the church of my magic?/My neatly ordered plans?/What is the song I was singing before this began") "Take my Body" is an attack on the shallowness of American culture's view of women. ("See myself defiled on every page and every screen/Because I don't weigh 100 pounds/I'm not 20 anymore/Would I want to be?/Take my body, what you feel and what you see/Take my body, let it be fuel for all your fantasies..")

LOWS:
"The Summer I Read Collette" is trying too hard to be "deep".

BOTTOM LINE:
It's good but I think calling it great or one of the best of 1996 is going too far. There simply aren't really any songs here that became "mental Top 10s" for days. (You know, those songs that once heard you keep hearing in your head..you find yourself humming the melodies absent-mindedly) A lot of the disc seems content to waft gently, pretty and unassuming, in the background of life and that's not what I listen to music for. Cash devotees will probably want it, but if you're just dipping into Rosanne's catalogue, I would start with KING'S RECORD SHOP instead.

Where this album works -- and that means on most of its songs -- it combines emotional directness and melodic concentration in a way that takes it beyond even the best of Cash's recent work. From the simple but hypnotic open chords of "If I were a Man" to the warm, dark intensity of "The Western Wall," this one echoes long.