July 25, 2014

Rosanne Cash & Opinions on Jenny Lewis

Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash performs songs from her recent album The River & the Thread and talks about carrying on her family's legacy and why there's no love lost between her and country music. This interview was recorded in front of an audience at WXPN in Philadelphia. Later Jim and Greg review the new release from another singer-songwriter, Jenny Lewis.

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Music News

A sad music headline kicks off this episode. Texas Blues guitarist Johnny Winter died last week at age 70. Greg notes that it's significant that Winter died while on tour in Europe, as he kept on working until the very end. And he encouraged his heroes to do the same. Winter, who had hits with his brother Edgar and with singer Rick Derringer in the 1970’s, produced three late-career albums for Blues legend Muddy Waters. You can literally hear Winter's stamp on songs like "Mannish Boy" from 1977's Hard Again.

Rosanne Cash

Considering that Rosanne Cash was born into music royalty, she's a veteran of the business. But that hasn't stopped her from blazing her own trail. The eldest daughter of Johnny Cash, Rosanne, too, is something of a maverick, never fitting into any proper "Country" or "Rock" cagetories. She eschewed the binding confines of Nashville for New York City, where she lives with husband and musical partner John Leventhal. Rosanne recently released her 13th studio album, The River and the Thread, and she joined us for a special live performance at the WXPN studios in Philadelphia. She talked with Jim and Greg about her father's legacy, working with her husband, breaking away from the Nashville industrial complex, and how she can write a beautiful song based on a tweet.

The Voyager Jenny Lewis

It has been 6 years since California folk-rock siren Jenny Lewis released her last solo album, and Jim and Greg have been chomping at the bit to see what her most recent release has to offer. The former child actress turned indie songstress lived through some turbulent stresses during that time, including the death of her estranged father, a bout of insomnia and the break-up of her band, the power pop group Rilo Kiley. All of this made its way onto The Voyager, a slow syrupy overflow of calming soundscape reminiscent of California's late 60’s/early 70’s Laurel Canyon sound. Greg was taken by its deceptive smoothness. His only critique points toward the balmy sweetness of the music. However, that sound provides a great foil to the complicated lyrics. He says Buy It. Jim agrees, though he's less of a fan of Lewis' obvious inspiration (Fleetwood Mac to name one). But, he describes the album as brave and seconds the Buy It.

Check out Jenny on Sound Opinions

Featured Songs

Johnny Winter, "Still Alive & Well," Still Alive and Well, Legacy/Columbia, 1973
Johnny Winter, "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo," The Johnny Winter Story, Columbia, 1969
Muddy Waters, "Mannish Boy," The Real Folk Blues, MCA/Chess, 1965
Rosanne Cash, "A Feather's Not a Bird," The River and The Thread (Live on Sound Opinions), Blue Note, 2014
Rosanne Cash, " Modern Blue," The River and The Thread (Live on Sound Opinions), Blue Note, 2014
Rosanne Cash, "Etta's Tune," The River and The Thread (Live on Sound Opinions), Blue Note, 2014
Rosanne Cash, "Modern Blue," The River and The Thread, Blue Note, 2014
Rosanne Cash, "Muddy Road," The River and The Thread (Live on Sound Opinions), Blue Note, 2014
Rosanne Cash, "Seven Year Ache," The River and The Thread, Blue Note, 2014
Rosanne Cash, "The Sunken Lands," The River and The Thread (Live on Sound Opinions), Blue Note, 2014
Rosanne Cash, "World of Strange Design," The River and The Thread, 2014
Rosanne Cash, "50,000 Watts," The River and The Thread, Blue Note, 2014
Jenny Lewis, "Just One of The Guys," The Voyager, 2014
Jenny Lewis, "The Voyager," The Voyager, Warner Bros., 2014
Bonobo, "Duals," Ten Tigers, Ninja Tune, 2014
R.E.M., "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite," Automatic for the People, Warner Bros., 1992
Spinal Tap, "America," This is Spinal Tap, The Control Group, 1984
The Rutles, "Cheese and Onions," The Rutles, Rhino/Warner Bros., 1978
Morrissey, "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful," We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful, Warner Bros., 1992

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