Customer Reviews

Interiors (Reis)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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Prime Cuts: What We Really Want, Paralyzed, On the Inside

Before there was Shania Twain and hubby Robert Lange, there was Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell. Crowell in his artistic and commercial ingenuity has produced and/or written a fleet of hits for then-wife Cash. Jointly, they have managed to lock in 10 country chart toppers through the 80s. On this sixth release, Cash dutifully thanks her man again for his "inspiration, love and partnership." If art truly reflects nature, and if Crowell really inspired these songs (which lean towards marital discord), then indeed trouble must had been on the line. In hindsight, this might have been true as the Cash-Crowell marriage did crumble months after this release.

"Interiors" is an aptly titled album. These ten songs unearth the emotional shoals that lurk beneath the surface of human politeness, gentility and superficiality. The utter lack of pretense and the confessional honesty in these songs flies in the face of the shallowness of what is passed along on country radio as hits. The album starts off on a good start with the perky "On the Inside." Setting the thematic pace for the album, "On the Inside" deals with the viciousness of betrayal and hurt. Similar in subject matter is "On the Surface." Though set at a slower tempo, "On the Surface" is disturbingly a duet with Crowell! Were they singing this song to each other?

Lead single, "What We Really Want," is again an introverted number. This time it deals with a desperate plea for personal intimacy. Melodically, "What We Really Want" is upbeat, radio friendly and not dissimilar to Cash's previous hit "Second to No One." It is also Cash's last shot at the country charts (peaking at number 19) before she called it truce with country music altogether. On the other hand, "I Want a Cure," is on the other extreme. It is essentially a rock song that Steve Nicks would be proud to call her own. "I Want to Cure" is proleptic of Cash's later rock oriented efforts. Not to be missed though is the excellent guitar solo from Steuart Smith on this number.

John Stewart, who wrote Cash's number 1 hit "Runaway Train," returns with the philosophical co-write, "Dance with the Tiger." "Dance with the Tiger" is by no means as catchy and it's a tad too metaphorical for radio appeal. Much better is "Real Woman." "Real Woman" is a female emancipation anthem bringing a temporal relief to this dark shadowy album. If released as a single, "Real Woman" could posit Cash back to country's lofty heights.

The album has two nerve wrecking moments. Those faint of heart had better be warned-"This World" has some gruesome lines about a father murdering his child in cold blood. Accompanied by a plaintive string arrangement, "This World" is a touching social commentary on the disintegration of the morals of our society. Things don't get more optimistic with the album's closer, "Paralyzed." Scanty clad only by a keyboard, here we have Cash's naked unnerving vocals recalling overhearing a phone conversation between her husband and his lover. This is spine chilling stuff-betrayal in its most atrocious form.

"Interiors" is definitely an album that needs to be listened with the right frame of mind. It can be far too depressingly to know that the human heart is dark and deceitful. But it's also the bravest and the most honest album Cash has had ever made. "Interiors" might not have awarded her as many charted singles as her previous album, but it has certainly won Cash critically accolades and acclaims. And I might add, rightly so.

Seemingly off-course by Cash's previous efforts and the only disk that is written and produced almost entirely by herself. Abandonment becomes the theme of the music and the record in general.

Musically the material is or could be based on the failure of Cash's marriage, but just as much is in regards to the failure of her parent's marriage decades earlier. The songs are bleak ("This World", "Dance w/the Tiger"), to the point ("Paralyzed", "Mirror Image") and microscopically hopeful ("I Want A Cure", "What We Really Want").

'Interiors' is also the most consistent album Cash has ever recorded and probably speaks to her true artistry than anything she's done. It's a shame she hasn't taken the helm of more her albums. Cash has captured her own songs better than anyone who has produced her previously.

Sony completely abandoned marketing of 'Interiors' when they realized it wouldn't produce four #1 hits like her previous disk and it failed to fall into any category. Nashville pretty much abandoned Cash too - but their loss was the gain for anyone who found this recording.

The quality of the remaster is superior to the original release. As for extras, this remaster didn't really need them - but we got them. I'm a huge fan of the two deleted tracks, Cash's own "Portrait" and a cover of World Party's "All Come True" - and have enjoyed them for years, but now that they are in sequence and that I'm used to this disk for the last 15 years, they seem out of place. They are still great tracks.

The two live cuts are great. Pristine and understated recordings. Very nice touch. It's not the easiest disk to listen to - but one I have enjoyed over the years and one I recommend whole heartedly.

The remaster is now copywrite protected, but I had no issue playing it my car, my laptop, ripping it to iTunes or loading to my iPod.

I got on a new kick the other day and it's called the Rosanne Cash Blues, I am loving every thing I get my hands on when it comes to this woman.

First, her new album is excellant (see past review) and I found this little gem of an album which is produced and co-written by Rosanne and tells in 10 little songs the disinegration, the rebirth, the doubt, the pain and trials of a relationship falling apart.

Starting out with the upbeat sounding "On The Inside" Rosanne taps into the belief that she and her lover have suffered and excelled on the inside and things will be fine, while in later songs that same (?) relationship is in the thwarts of tearing everyone apart and these are the songs I really like (go figure), the high tension of "Dance With The Tiger" and "Mirror Image";

The most terrifying and high tension songs come from a pair of acoustic styled ditties "This World" makes me want to bawl every time I hear it - "Read about this baby / she got beat up by her dad/ she was 9 months old and he was a full grown man/ she may have been learning how to crawl/ and he hit a face in her face/ doctor said this baby's gone / she can't be replaced.." and the chorus "Now you read a lot of things in the daily news/ but I'm laying awake at nights wonderin' what to do/ I pray the Lord her soul to keep/ cause all down here are fast asleep/ but this baby belongs to me and you..."

The closing track with only a piano and violin accompanying her in a waltz, "Paralyzed" lays more at the ears of the listener than anything someone like Sarah McLachlin could dream of giving us - "Paralyzed" lets us right into Rosanne's real life as she picks up the telephone and hears the conversation between her husband and his lover; she is left paralyzed but not sure - "A life time between us just burned down the wire", "footsteps beside me/ phone in my hand/ I can't move/ I can't stand"..

Interiors is truly a treasure trove of inner feelings and something everyone should hear; just as long as you can handle it - due to the intense lasting feeling that you just spied on Rosanne Cash at home.

This is a raw and fine masterpiece. Sometimes it is hard to listen to because it is painful - that's where the raw part comes in. Every aspect of this album is excellent. I can't say enough about it. Just listen for yourself.

The songs as listed on this page are for King's Record Shop. Look at the other Interiors listing for the correct song list.

on the site where Interiors CD is listed for sale they show the track listing and it is 100% wrong. None of these songs are on the Interiors CD. I find now that music listed is on Kings Record Shop.

I was very happy with the handling and shipping time but not with the product as it was not correctly represented.

Even though the subject of every song is not uplifting, it is still Rosanne at her BEST in writing and singing. This album made me a fan for life!!!

I'm listening to original release while composing this screed and checking out Amazon site to see if fellow travelers find it as haunting, compelling, and moving as I do and also to check out whether it would be worthwhile to spring for the upgrade, but imagine my surprise to find the song list to be that of a different Roseanne record, despite notices from several other astute reviewers. Since all the original ten songs are wonderful,I'm sure the upgraded version would be even more so. Viiva Rosanne!

After becoming a Rosanne Cash earlier this year due to her new album, I decided to purchase all of her earlier work and I was completely blown away. I can't say she's ever released a bad album and "Interiors" is arguably her finest work to date. It's sparingly produced, full of passionate vocals and amazing lyrics. It's just a shame Rosanne's career after "King's Record Shop" has been largely ignored and undiscovered.

Seemingly off-course by Cash's previous efforts and the only disk that is written and produced almost entirely by herself. Abandonment becomes the theme of the music and the record in general.

Musically the material is or could be based on the failure of Cash's marriage, but just as much is in regards to the failure of her parent's marriage decades earlier. The songs are bleak ("This World", "Dance w/the Tiger"), to the point ("Paralyzed", "Mirror Image") and microscopically hopeful ("I Want A Cure", "What We Really Want").

'Interiors' is also the most consistent album Cash has ever recorded and probably speaks to her true artistry than anything she's done. It's a shame she hasn't taken the helm of more her albums. Cash has captured her own songs better than anyone who has produced her previously.

Sony completely abandoned marketing of 'Interiors' when they realized it wouldn't produce four #1 hits like her previous disk and it failed to fall into any category. Nashville pretty much abandoned Cash too - but their loss was the gain for anyone who found this recording.

The quality of the remaster is superior to the original release. As for extras, this remaster didn't really need them - but we got them. I'm a huge fan of the two deleted tracks, Cash's own "Portrait" and a cover of World Party's "All Come True" - and have enjoyed them for years, but now that they are in sequence and that I'm used to this disk for the last 15 years, they seem out of place. They are still great tracks.

The two live cuts are great. Pristine and understated recordings. Very nice touch. It's not the easiest disk to listen to - but one I have enjoyed over the years and one I recommend whole heartedly.

The remaster is now copywrite protected, but I had no issue playing it my car, my laptop, ripping it to iTunes or loading to my iPod. I also had no issue w/the first reissue of the flawed Sony disk.

Prime Cuts: What We Really Want, Paralyzed, On the Inside

Before there was Shania Twain and hubby Robert Lange, there was Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell. Crowell in his artistic and commercial ingenuity has produced and/or written a fleet of hits for then-wife Cash. Jointly, they have managed to lock in 10 country chart toppers through the 80s. On this sixth release, Cash dutifully thanks her man again for his "inspiration, love and partnership." If art truly reflects nature, and if Crowell really inspired these songs (which lean towards marital discord), then indeed trouble must had been on the line. In hindsight, this might have been true as the Cash-Crowell marriage did crumble months after this release.

"Interiors" is an aptly titled album. These ten songs unearth the emotional shoals that lurk beneath the surface of human politeness, gentility and superficiality. The utter lack of pretense and the confessional honesty in these songs flies in the face of the shallowness of what is passed along on country radio as hits. The album starts off on a good start with the perky "On the Inside." Setting the thematic pace for the album, "On the Inside" deals with the viciousness of betrayal and hurt. Similar in subject matter is "On the Surface." Though set at a slower tempo, "On the Surface" is disturbingly a duet with Crowell! Were they singing this song to each other?

Lead single, "What We Really Want," is again an introverted number. This time it deals with a desperate plea for personal intimacy. Melodically, "What We Really Want" is upbeat, radio friendly and not dissimilar to Cash's previous hit "Second to No One." It is also Cash's last shot at the country charts (peaking at number 19) before she called it truce with country music altogether. On the other hand, "I Want a Cure," is on the other extreme. It is essentially a rock song that Steve Nicks would be proud to call her own. "I Want to Cure" is proleptic of Cash's later rock oriented efforts. Not to be missed though is the excellent guitar solo from Steuart Smith on this number.

John Stewart, who wrote Cash's number 1 hit "Runaway Train," returns with the philosophical co-write, "Dance with the Tiger." "Dance with the Tiger" is by no means as catchy and it's a tad too metaphorical for radio appeal. Much better is "Real Woman." "Real Woman" is a female emancipation anthem bringing a temporal relief to this dark shadowy album. If released as a single, "Real Woman" could posit Cash back to country's lofty heights.

The album has two nerve wrecking moments. Those faint of heart had better be warned-"This World" has some gruesome lines about a father murdering his child in cold blood. Accompanied by a plaintive string arrangement, "This World" is a touching social commentary on the disintegration of the morals of our society. Things don't get more optimistic with the album's closer, "Paralyzed." Scanty clad only by a keyboard, here we have Cash's naked unnerving vocals recalling overhearing a phone conversation between her husband and his lover. This is spine chilling stuff-betrayal in its most atrocious form.

"Interiors" is definitely an album that needs to be listened with the right frame of mind. It can be far too depressingly to know that the human heart is dark and deceitful. But it's also the bravest and the most honest album Cash has had ever made. "Interiors" might not have awarded her as many charted singles as her previous album, but it has certainly won Cash critically accolades and acclaims. And I might add, rightly so.