Whatever spring Roseanne Cash’s drinking from, I want a few gallons. She and her band (which includes husband John Leventhal), drew a capacity crowd at Third & Lindsley, and if anyone had entertained thoughts of splitting the show and catching the tail end of another act, they wisely reconsidered and stayed put. A real voice, a real band and real songs: that’s Americana, and Cash delivered what we all came looking for the AMAs.

Cash’s voice has never been better, and her set included most cuts from her upcoming album, The River & the Thread. Above all, Cash is a storyteller, and she sang us stories all night, from her grandparents in Arkansas back in the Great Depression, to Tom T. Hall’s “That’s How I Got to Memphis,” Allison Moorer’s wonderful song “Money Road” and hymns old and new. Looking relaxed and happy, Cash talked about the band (excellent), Leventhal’s “husband in law” (her ex Rodney Crowell, hides behind his hat on Elmore’s cover) and growing up Johnny’s Cash’s daughter without having the man present as a father.

Ending with her first big, hit, “Seven Year Ache,” Cash plopped a dollop of whipped cream on a very substantial dessert. Not only was “Ache” a fun singalong, it also showed us how far she’s come.

– Suzanne Cadgène