You know when your parents are like, “What is that garbage you’re listening to?” and turn down your Soulja Boy CD and try to turn you to on to some Bob Seger shit from before you were born? Parents are so lame. That is sort of like what happened to Rosanne Cash, except her dad was not lame and his lesson plan included classic tunes even the most country-averse music fans should know. Says Rosanne, “When I was 18, my father became alarmed that his daughter appeared to lack a deep understanding of country music (having been obsessed with The Beatles and steeped in Southern California rock and pop music). He gave me a list of the ’100 Essential Country Songs’ and told me that it was my education and I should learn them all.” I have a hard time believing that Johnny Cash was a 100 Greatest list blogger at heart, but it makes a good story. On The List Rosanne’s recorded a dozen of the essentials with the aid of Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy, and Rufus Wainwright, making this the dad-rock album of the year. Check out “Sea Of Heartbreak” with the Boss and “Long Black Veil” with Tweedy:

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