This CD would have gotten 5 stars if it had not been for the inclusion of the syrupy "Black And White" at the end of the CD. Minus that, this is an absolute must-have for the progressive country-roots-rock lover. The massive hit "Seven Year Ache" is included of course, but the centerpieces of this compilation, in my opinion, are the roots-rockers "Hold On" and "Never Be You". "Hold On" is driven by a propulsive bass guitar that is in perfect harmony with the confident lyrics. "Never Be You", (written by Tom Petty and Benmont Tench), lets Rosanne rock out in great style. "Blue Moon With Heartache" is gorgeous, and, like most of Rosanne's work, is wonderfully written. However, one of her bigger hits is curiously and disappointingly left absent - "Runaway Train". One of the most important alt-country singer/songwriters of the 1980s, this collection remains the best calling card to anyone new to Rosanne's music. The compilations that followed were disappointing, leaving out many of her hits and album tracks. Fans will have to be content with this one and wait for the day a larger compilation including her introspective 90's work is released.

I've never really considered myself a major Rosanne Cash fan, but after hearing this collection, I'm quite impressed. It's a nice collection of soft rock ("Seven Year Ache","Hold On","I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", "Never Be You"), country ("No Memories Hangin' Around"), & rockabilly ("My Baby Thinks He's a Train","I Don't Want to Spoil the Party","Tennessee Flat Top Box"), with a couple of ballads mixed in. But my favorite is the beautiful acoustic, Tex-Mex flavored "The Way We Make a Broken Heart". I just wish they had included my second favorite, "Couldn't Do Nothin' Right".

I Have Been Listening To Rosanne Since I Was A Little Kid. The First Song I Heard From Her Was The Number 1 Hit "Seven Year Ache". From There She Has Had Ten Number 1 Hits Including: "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", "The Way We Make A Broken Heart", "Tennessee Flat Top Box", And "I Don't Want To Spiaol The Party. Rosanne's Father Is The Legandery Johnny Cash. This Record Was Produced By Then Husband Rodney Crowell.

I really love this CD! Anything by Rosanne has to be good but these songs are really great...Seven Year Ache is one of my favorites, along with I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me, Hold On and Never Be You. Basically all the songs on here are great! So go buy this CD and you won't be disappointed by Cash's work :)

"I ran into that heartache just like a wall. And act like nothing happened to me, nothin' at all....."

Blue Moon With Heartache

Rosanne Cash is to country music what Diana Krall is to jazz. Sometimes traditional, often elegant, and occasionally heartbreaking, her lyrics and vocals convey a depth of emotion we don't get to hear that often.

While her music the past decade has become even more refined and introspective, this compilation of her earlier hits has work which makes it an absolute must for those who love great music. Even the catchy melodies cannot mask the emotional insight of some of these songs.

Cuts such as "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me" and "The Way We Make a Broken Heart" are so great to listen to it may be the third or fourth time around before you start hearing the anguish of the words and the sadness just beneath the surface. Even fun songs such as The Beatles' "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" are tinged with melancholy and hurt in Cash's hands.

Tunes like "I Wonder" and "Black and White" show the direction Cash's music would eventually take beginning with her "Interiors" album. If I could pick one song to define what Rosanne Cash and her music are all about, however, I would pick "Blue Moon With Heartache."

Anyone who has ever known heartbreak and shut down for a time in its wake will feel as though this were an anthem written and sung just for them in their darkest hour. It is one of the most beautiful songs about lost love and loneliness ever written or sung.

You don't have to love country music to enjoy Rosanne Cash. You only have to have a heart and love great music. If you are not familiar with this most gifted of female music artists you are urged to start here and move forward to Cash's newer and ever interesting work. A must have.