Rosanne Cash Rules Of Travel CD

RULES OF TRAVEL was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Rosanne Cash started out at the vanguard of progressive country in the late '70s, but although you can't have deeper roots in country music than Johnny Cash's eldest child, she always had a broader vision in mind. Her definitive farewell to country came with 1993's THE WHEEL and she hasn't looked back since. Only one more album popped out in the 10 years between that career milestone and RULES OF TRAVEL, but it sounds like it was time well spent.

With country ever further behind her, Cash goes down a deep, dark, introspective singer/songwriter path via dusky songs simmering with hurt, regret, and hard lessons learned. Cash's artful-but-not-pretentious lyrics are expertly framed by husband/producer/multi-instrumentalist John Leventhal, who plays the lion's share of the instruments and leads his wife toward a sonic state not dissimilar to that of his cohort Shawn Colvin (a crisp folk/rock/pop amalgam). Guest appearances by the likes of Steve Earle and Big Daddy Cash himself make for some variety, but it's Ms. Cash's trenchant, concise songwriting that's the star of this show.

Recorded at 12th Street Studio, Sear Sound, and New York Noise, New York, New York; Cash Cabin Studio, Hendersonville, Tennessee; Nashville, Tennessee.

Personnel: Rosanne Cash (vocals, guitar); Johnny Cash, Steve Earle (vocals); John Leventhal (guitar, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, percussion); Tony Kadleck (flugelhorn); Larry Farrell (trombone); Doug Petty, Danny Louis (organ); Zev Katz (upright bass); Dennis McDermott, Shawn Pelton (drums, percussion); Catherine Russell (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Roger Moutenot.

Recording information: 12th Street Studio; Johnny Cash Cabin Studio, Hendersonville, TN; New York Noise, New York, NY; Sear Sound Studios, New York, NY.

Guests:Johnny Cash,Sheryl Crow ,Steve Earle,Teddy Thompson.

Personnel: Rosanne Cash (vocals, guitar); Sheryl Crow, Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, Teddy Thompson (vocals); John Leventhal (guitar, Wurlitzer piano, keyboards, bass, percussion); Rick Depofi (tenor saxophone); Tony Kadler (flugelhorn); Larry Farrell (trombone); Doug Petty (organ); Zev Katz (bass, upright bass); Michael Rhodes (bass); Dennis McDermott, Shawn Pelton (drums, percussion); Matt Keeler (drums); Catherine Russell (background vocals).

Spin (5/03, p.116) - "...The record recasts her unnerving spell - brooding country-pop riffs that conceal devastating lyrics..." - Grade: A
Entertainment Weekly (3/28/03, p.68) - "...Beautiful and melancholy folk-pop....TRAVEL...journeys to the tender, haunted heart of love and mortality..." - Rating: A-
Uncut (5/03, p.96) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...RULES OF TRAVEL signals a striking reawakening for a too often overlooked talent....A deeply felt and accomplished return..."