Marshall in Memphis

January 23, 2006

The Greatest
Cat Power

Available January 24th, 2006

Despite being teamed up with an all-star lineup of Memphis soul musicians (essentially Al Green’s band), The Greatest isn’t quite Cat Power’s big soul record. It’s a soulful record, but it retains the same Southern goth longing that defines almost all of Chan Marshall’s work. The biggest difference is that the basslines and snappy guitar licks add enough fun to bring Cat Power out of the sadcore ghetto. You Are Free was the first Cat Power album to feel varied throughout a front-to-back listen, and The Greatest is even more accessible.

The record starts with some of the more obviously funky sounds, with “Could We” living off giant horn blasts and playfully guitar bends and “Lived in Bars” coming out of it’s doldrums with a final segment that’s all sweet Otis Redding groove. “Islands” and the “Moon” are both album highlights, sandwiching a loping country number in “After It All.” The old school mopey Cat Power is still around in a track like “Hate,” one of the few tracks with just Chan on vocal and guitar. It’s about two songs too long and could use better balance (it’s fairly frontloaded), but the smoky mystery of Chan’s voice retains it’s undeniable allure throughout.

The collection of songs is not quite as good as You Are Free, but the musicality makes up for it. Cat Power fans looking to stare into the abyss again will be disappointed, but it’s an easy sell to everyone else. It makes a fine faux-Dusty Springfield complement to Jenny Lewis’s Rabbit Fur Coat, and with a new Neko Case record still in the works, 2006 looks to be a big year for chanteuserie (totally not a word).

Download:
“The Greatest” (mp3)

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