Forty years into her recording career, Rosanne Cash is writing ever-deeper songs that draw on her unique life of family legacy, friendships and personal politics. And she’s developed a steelier edge than ever: “I’m not interested in people-pleasing at this point in my life,” she tells Country Music

Words by Rob Hughes

You can follow Rosanne Cash on Twitter as@rosannecash where she describes herself as “writer/musician/New Yorker”

Michael Lavine

ike leather boots or a smooth whiskey, Rosanne Cash only seems to improve with age. Her most recent albums, from 2006’s Black Cadillac through to The List (2009) and 2014’s triple Grammy-winning The River & The Thread, contain some of the richest work of her entire career. It’s a purple patch that shows no sign of fading, especially given the vivid nature of her latest opus, She Remembers Everything.

After reaching deep into her roots on the aforementioned albums – examining family relationships, grief, musical heritage and the South – the 63-year-old has now written a bunch of highly personal songs, drawn from direct experience, that also explore what it means to be a woman in the 21st century.

Over a dozen collaborators helped flesh out her visions, chief among them husband John Leventhal (her regular producer and co-writer) at home in New York City and, in Portland, Oregon, noted producer Tucker Martine. Kris Kristofferson and Elvis Costello also make appearances, as do Sam Phillips and The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy.

As the eldest daughter of Johnny Cash, Rosanne belongs to a royal dynasty of country music. Not only does she share her father’s questing spirit (occupying a shifting space between folk, blues, country and roots music), but also a commitment to social justice and the pursuit of civil liberties. Cash is a longtime member of The Centre To Prevent Youth Violence, devoted to stopping gun violence amongst young people, as well as being involved with organisations that help educate deprived children and adults throughout the world. She’s also an outspoken campaigner for artists’ rights. Not for nothing did she receive the ‘Spirit of Americana’ Free Speech gong at the Americana Awards in Nashville last September.