Roseanna Cash - Seven Year Ache
#71
By Paul Zickler
Rosanne Cash
Seven Year Ache
Allen’s rating: 4 out of 5
Paul’s Rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: (ahem) Country
Highlights:
Seven Year Ache
Blue Moon With Heartache
You Don’t Have Very Far to Go
My Baby Thinks He’s a Train
Hometown Blues
The Feeling
Review:
OK, first of all, this is a country album. You can’t have Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, and Mickey Raphael playing on a record and not call it country. That being said, a country album released in 1981 by Johnny’s daughter could’ve found its way into my record collection (or that of most of my friends) without inviting much scorn or questioning. I staunchly refuse to get political in these reviews, but let’s just say “being country” had a far different connotation in those days than what it has taken on over the past decade or so. I mean, Marie Osmond was “a little bit country,” and as far as I know, she never drove a jacked up pickup truck with confederate flags attached to both bumpers. A bit of ‘80’s country is just fine with me, and so is this album, especially the highlights.
Hopefully everybody already knows the title track, a perfect slice of ironic empathy for a lost soul (her soon-to-be ex-husband?) on a hopeless quest for love in all the wrong places, wrapped around a devilishly catchy chorus and just enough synth to make it sound like 1981. She was only 25 when she wrote it, and it managed to overshadow the next 40 years of a pretty stellar songwriting career.
“Blue Moon With Heartache” shows off Cash’s chops even further, with another unforgettable chorus and devastating story of fading love. “What would I give to be a diamond in your eyes again?” She sings it beautifully over a slightly-too-sweet accompaniment, but to the song’s credit, you barely notice the syrup. It’s a lovely tune and another standout.
More in the traditional Nashville mode, “You Don’t Have Very Far to Go” is a Merle Haggard cover, complete with steel guitar and Emmylou on backup vocals. It works great and demonstrates Rosanne’s ability to carry a song that’s not her own.
“My Baby Thinks He’s a Train” shows off the guitar picking skills of Albert Lee, Nashville cat extraordinaire, aka Mr. Telecaster. I’m here for it. The song itself is just a fun little shuffle, written by someone named Leroy Preston, who’s best known for writing this song. So there’s that.
Tom Petty wrote “Hometown Blues,” and even though the rhythm section plays it a bit too straight up country for my taste, it’s saved by Emmylou’s angelic harmonies and a subdued but still wonderful Booker T. Jones organ cameo. Needless to say, Rosanne sings it well, adding a little extra bite to the final verse. I’m sure Tom was tickled by the tribute.
The last track on the Spotify version is “The Feeling,” which I’m including as a highlight, even if it was only on the CD release that came out 4 years later. It’s a tough edged number that reminds me of some of Linda Ronstadt’s stronger work from the same period. It’s also got an interesting guitar bridge that almost crosses over to Rick Springfield-ish power pop territory, but stops just short. The woman was just too good at writing a catchy chorus and singing the heck out of it. Plus, I’m kind of a sucker for fake endings, even if they only give way to a 15 second fadeout.
The rest of the album is pleasant filler, nothing very memorable, but nothing annoying either. This is the sound of a bunch of pros backing an up-and-coming new star. Yeah, I mean, it helped that her dad was a legend and her then-husband was already a major star, but Rosanne Cash more than earned the acclaim she got for this one. Whether you’ll like it or not depends on how you feel about a country album slipping into the “rock-only” list. I don’t mind at all.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4FgXzkDie2opVddw91pH8K?si=frBBuXUWQfqBWvw2FRLahA
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