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Cat Power
The Greatest
(Matador/Beggars Group)
Despite its boastful title, Cat Power's The Greatest is not a hits collection. This is, of course, due to the simple fact that New York's Cat Power -- aka singer-songwriter Chan (pronounced Shawn) Marshall -- has never had anything that even remotely resembled a hit.
Not that she's complaining; the skittish, ethereal balladeer has more than enough critical acclaim to make up for her lack of fame. And she's already reaping a fresh crop of praise for her press kit with this superlative seventh album.
The Greatest was recorded in Memphis at the storied Ardent Studio -- home of Big Star, among others -- and features a backing band of semi-legendary session cats whose resumes includes names like Al Green and Booker T. On these dozen tracks, they work their trademark magic, putting a layer of supple southern soul and R&B beneath Marshall's sombre, intimate odes.
You might think the combination would be as appealing as vegan BBQ, but the truth is, Marshall's doleful drawl has always had a southern gothic aspect, and these cuts both highlight and complement it superbly. The failed boxer tale that lends the disc its title shambles along to a woozy, punchdrunk gait. Living Proof bounces along like Fiona Apple in a slightly better mood. The romantically expectant Could We has the sort of slinky guitars you'd expect from the guy who co-wrote Take Me to the River, along with ripe horns and a lazy, almost Band-like groove. Empty Shell moves to the porch with its fingerpicked guitar and downhome fiddle. After it All ambles to the bluesy tinkle of a barrelhouse piano and a whistle borrowed from Roger Miller.
It isn't just the band that makes the disc, though -- Marshall also plays to her strength with sharply focused songs that often expand beyond her diary-entry laments into character sketches and third-person narratives. What hasn't changed, thankfully, is her otherworldly voice, which floats above these tracks like a ghost haunting a juke joint.
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Simply put: Marshall has made her most consistent and commercial disc -- and without compromising the essential elements of her sound. Whether that will translate into hits is anybody's guess. Either way, The Greatest could easily be the best work she's done so far.
Track Listing:
1. The Greatest
2. Living Proof
3. Lived In Bars
4. Could We
5. Empty Shell
6. Willie
7. Where Is My Love
8. The Moon
9. Islands
10. After It All
11. Hate
12. Love And Communication