RHYTHM AND ROMANCE still ranks as Roseanne Cash's masterwork fully twenty years after its original 1985 release.

Although widely ignored by traditional country enthusiasts Cash's electric guitar-based country presaged such monster acts as Shania Twain and Faith Hill in the 1990s. The overtly sexual, Barbie-pink album jacket was a feminine gauntlet thrown down amidst a male-dominated musical form that was fossilized in its own tracks. Roseanne, the daughter of the original "Man In Black" came to us in full female color.

"I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me" was the chartbreaker, but RHYTHM AND ROMANCE had four hit singles and a Grammy. And unlike Twain and Hill (and their many imitators), Roseanne is truly wistful, painfully honest, and aggressive by turns, able to wring real tears out of most of the songs on this album. In short, it works as both traditional country and crossover material.

Still the piece de resistance amongst female country music albums, RHYTHM AND ROMANCE is as fresh today as it was when the needle first met the platter.

Never mind the compilation version. If you can find the original, get it.

One thing I have always loved about Rosanne Cash is the fact that she was not afraid to bare her soul in her songs, and yet we could all relate to them on some level. I love Rosanne because she is a strong, powerful woman, yet sensitive at the same time. The first thing out of her mouth on this CD is "If you want to keep a woman like me, you gotta hold on!" Wow!! The first 4 songs were the singles and they are not only very catchy, but have so much to say. Even though these songs were released in the mid 80's, I still listen to this CD here in 2003 and love it just the same. Aside from the singles, I really enjoy the heart-felt tune dedicated to her father, Johnny Cash, "My Old Man". I love the totally rockin' "Never Gonna Hurt" - a song many of us who have had bad relationships could relate to. I even love the acoustical closing song, "Closing Time". I remember this release being very controversial at the time; partly because of the album cover, because her music was 'too loud' for country radio, and also by the song "Second to No One" because of a certain word she used in it - some radio stations banned the song. But, this disc went on to garner 4 Top Ten Hits (2 went to #1) and she earned a Grammy for the song "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me".

I always knew who Rosanne Cash was before this release, but this was the disc that sold me as a huge fan of hers and she has yet to disappoint me. When I think back to the best of the 80's, this CD is definitely one that comes to mind.

Rosanne Cash's "Rhythm & Romance" #101, is my favorite Rosanne album. On this album she produced 4 big hits, "I Don't Know Why You, Don't Want Me"(she won a grammy for best female country vocal for this song), "Never Be You" written by Tom Petty and Benmont Tench, "Hold On" and "Second To No One". The album also has great songs in "Halfway House", I just enjoy this song, the chiming "Pink Bedroom", written by John Hiatt, the new wavy "Never Alone", her tribute to her dad on "Old Man", bouncy pop-rocker "Never Gonna Hurt" and finishes with the gentle "Closing Time". Sony please remaster this and "Kings Record Shop", someday! Rosanne used some great musicians on this album, Benmont Tench,Anton Fig, Willie Weeks, David Hungate, Larry Crane, Waddy Wachtel, Billy Joe Walker Jr. and Vince Gill on most backing vocals.

Were you around to witness Linda Ronstadt's career? She started off as the barefoot hippie singer who broke away from The Stone Poneys to do her own thing, initially with a group of fellow hippies-slash-cowboy wannabes who would later go on to become the Eagles, and then under the wing of Peter "Peter & Gordon" Asher. For a while, the albums with Asher were tight and tasty and featured strong performances and strong material. Then, album by album, they became increasingly trivial and lightweight until the last drop of blood had been squeezed from the turnip and Linda turned to Nelson Riddle and Mexican music in an effort to breathe life back into a career that had run its course and not kept in step with the changing times.

In 1985, Rosanne Cash put together a Linda Ronstadt album better than any created by Linda herself.

It had ALL of the elements, including Ronstadt guitarist Waddy Wachtel. You'll also find Vince Gill, Anton Fig, Willie Weeks, John Mellencamp's guitarist Larry Crane, Benmont Tench from The Heartbreakers...a ROYAL assembly of the BEST players of the day.

Along with songs from Tom Petty and Benmont Tench ("Never Be You") and John Hiatt ("Pink Bedroom") there are 8 STRONG tracks written by Rosanne, either on her own or with Rodney Crowell or Vince Gill.

There is an unbelievably poignant tribute to her dad, Johnny Cash ("My Old Man"). There is the chilling "Halfway House," with a sole songwriting credit to Rosanne, and the lines "We're all in the halfway house, I guess I always knew, You could give up on yourself but I could not give up on you..."

It's 35 minutes of perfection, and in 1985, it didn't sell. Despite healthy FM radio airplay, the Ronstadt fans neither discovered not embraced it, and the country fans probably thought it was too loud. What a shame. Of course, there is nothing to prevent you from discovering it right now. There aren't a lot of perfect albums in the world, but this is one of them. Following its release, Rosanne abandoned the formula and went back to more traditional country roots, but she was still a rebel angel, despite the absence of rock band trappings.

Buy this one, but don't pay the scalpers. Get a reasonably priced used copy.

Cash's first foray into a total non-country album had mixed results - with radio and Sony/CBS. Neither knew exactly what to do with it - so not much happened.

It was also Cash's first foray at a record no helmed by Rodney Crowell. It was an experiment that needed to happen and though she did another record with Crowell, 'Rhythm & Romance' really set the tone of where she'd branch out in her career.

The song selection, overall is spotty, yet fine - though the sequencing is not. Leading off with one of its weakest tracks, "Hold On", I think was there to quell the country-buying public.

One of Cash's most accessible tracks "I Don't You Why You Don't Want Me" follows and is pretty fun to this day - and still her only Grammy win. And I am partial to Cash's cover of Maria McKee's "Never Be You" over the original.

Few can reach the depth of emotion that Cash seems to pull from her own songwriting the way she does with certain tracks, including "Second to No One".

After that it is a little more hit and miss. She always scores when covering a John Haitt song ("Pink Bedroom"), but I could never get into the final two tracks. Oddly, I've always held a soft spot for "Halfway House" even though it if you break it down, it is just kind of marginal - I still like it a lot.

'Rhythm & Romance' isn't a classic disk, nor a classic Cash disk. It's just an vital launching point to 'Interiors' and 'The Wheel'.