Artist reflects on the loss of both of her parents in her newest album
Many artists in the music industry continue to make contributions and express experiences through their music. Rosanne Cash, the eldest daughter of Johnny Cash, recently released her newest 10-track album, She Remembers Everything. Drawing from genres of folk, rock, pop and jazz, Cash balances memories, acceptance, loneliness and the passing of her father and mother in this record.
The album kicks off with the song, “The Only Thing Worth Fighting For,” where she collaborates with Colin Meloy. In this track, Cash expresses feelings of loneliness and mourns over the loss of her parents through the first verse as she sings, “Waking up is harder than it seems/ wandering through these empty rooms of dusty books and quiet dreams/ pictures on the mantle speak your name/ softly like forgotten tunes, just outside the sound of pain.” As they accompany Cash’s folk voice, the slow drums, guitar and bass reflect a more rock sounding tune. Meloy’s perfectly blended harmony comes in towards the end, adding a more dimensional accent.
A track with a similar meaning is, “Everyone But Me.” This compassionate ballad consists of a soft piano melody, where it is later joined with a gentle guitar picking arrangement. Cash expresses grief over the loss of her parents through the chorus as she sings, “Mother and Father/ now that you’re gone/ it’s not nearly long enough/ still it seems too long.” This intricate song is quite a beautiful tear-jerker and is simply one of Cash’s most delicate pieces in the record.
Cash collaborates with artists, Elvis Costello and Kris Kristofferson in the track, “8 Gods of Harlem.” This song has a rock, new wave vibe to it with Costello’s voices, however, it also blends with a genre of country and folk with Cash and Kristofferson’s tones. This track tells the story of a young boy who passed away, where Cash expresses the action of praying to different types of Gods. Kristofferson joins in harmony in the chorus as they sing, “so we pray to the God of Broken Class/ we pray to the God of Gunfire and Regret/ we pray to the God of Collateral Children/ we pray to them all, the eight Gods of Harlem.”
The shortest track on the album, “Particle And Wave,” expresses the history and the notion of the inability to change the past. Cash sings, “Light nothing can escape/ the ignorance we once forgave/ no future if we don’t decide to change/ the things we cannot save,” as she conveys the message of reformation. A soft acoustic guitar strumming pattern accompanies Cash’s voice, with occasional knuckle taps on the body.
This record flies by in about 48 minutes, as it involves genres of folk, country, and rock. Cash’s collaborations never fail to impress, and she succeeds again with this record. Her emotions are expressed thoroughly, where she not only reveals hardship of her own but the stories of others.
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