Cat Power exceeds 'Great' expectations

Chan Marshall, or Cat Power as she is known in the music business, has never been terribly concerned with quickly releasing records. In fact, the release of her latest album, The Greatest, marks just her second record of original work since 1998's Moon Pix. \nThe Southern-raised Marshall, who dropped out of high school and moved to New York in the early '90s, began her music career by releasing three landmark indie rock albums throughout 1995-96. Her music production promptly decelerated during the following years, but has certainly made the strong case favoring quality over quantity. However, this may be the biggest reason why one of the most promising singer/songwriters of our time has only flirted with widespread fame. \nThe 2003 release of You Are Free was a big step toward putting Cat Power on the map, and landed her on the covers of numerous medium circulation music magazines. It was a more polished work than any previous album, featuring more of a blues ambience and set the tone for future albums. \nUnlike any of its predecessors, The Greatest is a very accessible collection of songs, and it doesn't require multiple listens to appreciate. Following the recent trend of musicians recording in Memphis (i.e. the White Stripes), Marshall retraces her Southern roots by injecting plenty of blues and soul into this work. She takes this a step further by recording with soul greats like Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, Leroy "Flick" Hodges and Steve Potts. \nThe title track is an elegant piano ballad driven by wistful, cryptic lyrics. Marshall's trademark sultry voice glides over soulful piano with perfection. Tracks like "The Greatest" and "Hate" assure fans of You Are Free that her music has not strayed too far.\nA recurring theme in Cat Power's lyrics is a cathartic, reflective message to herself, her lover or both. "The Moon," another gorgeous piano ballad features lyrics like "Everyone says they know you/ better than 'you know who'/ everyone says they own you/ more than you do." An interesting aspect that separates this album from her previous ones is the inclusion of saxophone. It gives an extra touch of soul to songs like "Lived in Bars" and "Willie." \nThis is also the first Cat Power album to be completely devoid of covers, which is usually a fundamental characteristic for an artist who actually released an album entitled, The Covers Record.\nIn The Greatest Marshall has managed to blithely amble her way around mainstream status, for the most part; however, this album will most likely be the work that finally pushes her completely out of obscurity.