Cat Power - The Greatest
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CD Details
Artist: Cat PowerEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-03-20
Music Label: Matador Records
Soundtracks:
- The Greatest
- Living Proof
- Lived In Bars
- Could We
- Empty Shell
- Willie
- Where Is My Love
- The Moon
- Islands
- After It All
- Hate
- Love And Communication
Music reviews of The Greatest
Music Review: Don't let the indie hype fool you
Rating: 2 Stars
My introduction to Chan "Cat Power" Marshall was her 2003 album You Are Free, which I honestly found almost completely unlistenable. The lyrics were half baked attempts at emotional catharsis, her voice sounded unsure and occassionally annoying, and the music (or lack thereof) was horrible. Fans tried to convince me her songs were just very minimalistic, but I don't buy it. Minimalism is more than just playing simple chords and melodies. Listen to the excellent band Low and see how beautiful simplistic music can be. You Are Free, however, sounded like the work of a musician who could barely play her instruments. Big difference.
Fast forward three and a half years. I have just gotten The Greatest, and you can imagine my shock. The sound is very different, and I would say a considerable step forward. Her voice sounds much more confident and has taken a slightly jazzy turn. Lyrical themes sound more fleshed out and perhaps even a bit more emotionally mature. The production is better in every respect, and with a large band (including several guitarists and another keyboardist) Chan's own shortcomings as a musician aren't as evident. This album is better in just about every way. So why the low rating?
In the world of contemporary independent music, there seems to be a carved-in-stone list of artists who you are "allowed" to listen to and those who are strictly forbidden. Every self respecting indie snob knows this and spends the majority of their time on internet message boards ripping apart bands on the "bad" list, while singing the praises of those on the "good" list. Nine times out of ten, the "good" artists who get all the hype end up sounding like watered down versions of the "bad" artists. But simply because the "bad" artists sell millions of records and get "played out" on radio and MTV they must be hated, and simply because the "good" artists are obscure and play to small audiences and record for small labels we must applaud them for their integrity and keeping their music "real".
This album came pre-packaged with a tremendous amount of hype, and while it is certainly better than her last release, it just can't live up. This is not one of the top albums of 2006 as many respected indie journalists would have you to think. To put it quite simply, Cat Power's music is quite boring, even with the improved sound and performances found on The Greatest. To be blunt, let's take off the indie snob blinders folks. This album is nothing more than Chan Marshall wearing her best Norah Jones suit. The atmosphere, the music, the arrangements, even the new turns in her voice, all strongly recall Norah Jones. The only problem here is the lack of strong hooks. No indie snob would ever be caught dead listening to a Norah Jones record, but she clearly knows her way around a pop hook, and millions of music fans around the world would agree with me on this. Cat Power, however, does not, and this album comes off as a boring attempt to capture the audience who would love Norah Jones if only they were allowed to give her multi-platinum music a fair listen, delivered by someone who clearly doesn't have the songwriting chops to compare. Cat Power has captured the vibe to the smallest detail, but her songwriting still keeps this from becomming the standout album it has been hyped as being. There really isn't anything on here that grabs you upon first listen, and not much that keeps you wanting to come back for more. It's not a bad album by any means, overall it is quite a pleasant listen. It's just boring. Excellent background music, but hardly worthy of much more.
While a significant improvement from someone who could very well continue to improve and grow into the hype that surrounds her, I can't with good conscience recommend this album to anyone. If you want sultry vocals and a mix of jazz, soul, folk, country, and pop, try the most recent album by Norah Jones instead. However, if you're too cool to do so and would rather keep your reputation in tact and gain the respect of your indie snob friends, this might just be the album for you.
Description of The Greatest
This is not a greatest hits album, despite the title. It contains all-original songs written by Chan Marshal (professionally known as Cat Power), and features the great Memphis session musicians Teenie Hodges on guitar, Leroy Hodges on bass (Al Green, Hi Rhythm Section), drummer Steve Potts, and more. The combination of Marshall's superbly evocative and flexible voice plus some of the greatest Southern soul players, has produced a masterpiece. These songs explore themes of Southern loss, longing, and marginality. The limited first digipak pressing and regular single vinyl contain a bonus track. After the first pressing sells out, the regular jewelcase version will not contain a bonus track.If you are an artist at a crossroads/ "maturing point" in your career, it's a great idea to seek out the original musicians who played on music you adore and that inspire you greatly?it's the opposite of what Rick Rubin does with the old folks. The results, however, are often lackluster; it can just be too hard to forge a connection in a short period of time with studio dudes twenty to thirty years older than you. Chan Marshall, who took just three years between albums this time, returned to Memphis to record with many of the architects of Southern soul music at Ardent Studios on The Greatest. And from the first and titular tune, a mournful and gorgeous ballad with swelling strings, backing singer and shimmery guitar accompaniment that tells the tale of a boy who wants to become a great boxer, it's clear that the results of this experiment are uniformly awesome. The sultry-voiced artiste sounds fully at home within these songs, these lovely analog Southern sounds that bridge black and white musics. It's not like she's on a trip of trying to be Aretha or anything; besides, the arrangements on all the songs are different. The loping, fiddle-accented "Empty Shell" sounds like the Unholy Modal Rounders backing Bobbie Gentry. All the songs are pretty, slow and melancholy; there's nothing like "He War" on here. We are not in the habit of quoting press releases, but it's hard to beat this line from the Matador one-sheet: "If Alex Chilton were today a beautiful young woman, he'd sound like this." Amen, or something. ?Mike McGonigal
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