It’s well known that in the two years before Rosanne Cash’s latest album was written and recorded, the singer-songwriter experienced the deaths of three loved ones: her stepmother, June Carter Cash, her father, Johnny, and finally her mother, Vivian Liberto Cash Distin. Such an ordeal would be profound for anyone, let alone someone with a family saga as troubled and as public (seen Walk the Line) as Cash’s; and as an emotional document of her loss, Black Cadillac is nothing short of spellbinding. …

For about two years now, the online music magazine buzzword has been “derivative.” Here is an example of how an online music magazine/indie rock know-it-all would use this word: “Oh my God, I can’t believe that no one has noticed how Interpol are so derivative! They’re ripping off Joy Divison!!!! And they’re not even having seizures!!!”
But why exactly is “derivative” such a dirty word? Why is there the belief that every album must be entirely new and original for it to receive a …

As buzz-generating first singles go, the Subways’ “Rock & Roll Queen” was pretty tepid. Sure, it got a spot on the soundtrack for The OC (what hasn’t?) and a “Single of the Month” promotion on iTunes, but its overbearing alterna-rawk production and insipid lyrics carried the suspicious whiff of industry hype rather than genuine word-of-mouth acclaim. For this listener, at least, the question was not “where did these guys come from?” but “who the hell actually listens to this?” – hardly the response, …