CD REVIEWS
By Michael Swanger scenescribe@mchsi.com
Rosanne Cash
“The List”
Manhattan Records
In 1973, Johnny Cash gave his teenage daughter Rosanne Cash a list of 100 essential country songs to learn. Thirty-six years later, it has become the impetus for Cash’s latest and most successful album, “The List,” marking a career-best debut of No. 5 on the country charts and No. 22 position on the Billboard 200 for the younger Cash. Surely some of the hype surrounding the album is due to the link to Cash’s late father, as well as high-profile (yet, underachieving) duets with the likes of Bruce Springsteen (“Sea of Heartbreak”) and Elvis Costello (“Heartaches By The Number”). Unfortunately, despite Cash’s heartfelt intentions, “The List” doesn’t measure up musically to her previous album, “Black Cadillac.” Here, the only noteworthy duet is that with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy on the Carter Family classic, “Long Black Veil.” “She’s Got You,” written by Hank Cochran and popularized by Patsy Cline, also stands out given the complex Cash family tree. CV
Austin May
“Song VIII”
Sleep On the Floor
This three-song EP by singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Austin May of Des Moines’ newest indie-rock label Sleep On the Floor offers fans a glimpse of May’s full-length album, “Dreamlike.” The appropriately titled EP barely moves faster than a crawl when it comes to rhythm and tempo, but the sparse, multiple layers of keyboards and processed guitars, sad bastard lyrics, ambient instrumentation and experimental production are more than enough to keep the listener’s mind abuzz. It’s the kind of music you might imagine plays over and over again in the mind of your little hyper brother just after the Ritalin kicks in — high speed, but low drag. If you like art rock, you’ll enjoy “Song VIII,” “Song V (Full)” and “Song IX (Full),” all of which were recorded in bedrooms, basements and apartments. They are a good indication of things to come. CV
