The Greatest

Things that I know or at least believe about Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power:

1) She has a bit of a checkered history with alcohol.
2) Her music is pretty rad.
3) She is pretty attractive (this seems to be a general consensus).
4) I don't know if I would ever see her in concert; maybe, but I have a hard time imagining the show to leave me with anything other than mild depression.

Having said number 4, I'm not completely sure about it. Most of this is due to her more recent work, such as her covers albums, and particularly, her 2006 release The Greatest. This album is still very much a piano-driven album, but it represents something of a stylistic departure from Marshall's earlier work (You Are Free, Moon Pix). This isn't a complaint about quality, as The Greatest is a fine album, though metalheads and hip-hop aficionados would do well to look elsewhere. The style here is somewhat more old-fashioned and bluesy, with horns and strings on several tracks; Marshall's smoky velvet voice still drives the entire production.

As in the past, it's my opinion that Marshall's music is best when it is miserable; there are a couple tracks here that don't work as well as the others. Still, the material is pretty good overall; the title track and "Willie" are my personal favorites, though your mileage may vary.

In Short: it's a welcome twist on the Cat Power sound, and a pretty good listen.

In Other News:
I picked up this album, along with the Arcade Fire's Funeral and Neko Case's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood back in 2006, on a Sunday at Best Buy for a total of roughly $20. This was a pretty good day, musically speaking.

Two more days, and I am off the antibiotics! I won't miss them.

I can't believe I made it this far without making a Cat Power entry. Shame on me.

Next Time: The End! And maybe an album review.