Eight years is a long time in almost any artist's career, but in Cat Power's case, it's an even more sizable gulf, as Chan Marshall's collections of other people's songs reflect. Released in 2000, The Covers Record found her becoming an ever more nuanced performer, tempering the rawness and intensity of her earlier albums with a lighter approach. Arriving in 2008, Jukebox reaffirms what a polished artist she's become, especially since her Memphis soul homage The Greatest. But where The Greatest sometimes bordered on slick, Jukebox's blend of country, soul, lues, and jazz feels lived-in and natural. Marshall recorded this set with her touring act, the Dirty Delta Blues Band, featuring some of indie rock's finest players, including her longtime drummer, the Dirty Three's Jim White -- who gives even the quietest moments vitality -- as well as Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Judah Bauer and Chavez's Matt Sweeney, so it's not surprising that the album often plays like an especially well-recorded concert. However, some of the session legends she worked with on The Greatest make guest appearances, including Teenie Hodges and Spooner Oldham. Oldham's song for Janis Joplin, "A Woman Left Lonely," appears here, and the original's sophisticated yet earthy sound is one of the album's biggest influences.
As on The Covers Record, Marshall makes bold choices. She citifies Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man" (switched to "Ramblin' [Wo]Man" here), turning it slinky and smoky with spacious drums and rippling Rhodes; despite the very different surroundings, the song's desperate loneliness remains. Joni Mitchell's icily beautiful "Blue" gets a thaw and a late-night feel that are completely different but just as compelling. Not all of Jukebox's transformations are this successful: Marshall's penchant for turning formerly brash songs brooding (like The Covers Record's "Satisfaction") sounds too predictable on Frank Sinatra's "New York." And, while the choice to change James Brown's "I Lost Someone" from searing and pleading to languid was brave, the results fall flat. One of the most drastic remakes is Marshall's own Moon Pix track "Metal Heart," which adds more drama and dynamics to one of her prettiest melodies. While the way this version swings from aching verses to cathartic choruses works, the subtlety and simplicity of the original are missed. Indeed, many of Jukebox's best moments are the simplest. Marshall's reworking of the Highwaymen's 1990 hit "Silver Stallion" frees the song from its dated production, replacing it with acoustic guitar and pedal steel that impart a timeless, restless beauty. She pays Bob Dylan homage with a gritty, defiant, yet reverent take on "I Believe in You" from his 1978 Christian album Slow Train Coming and "Song to Bobby," Jukebox's lone new track, dedicated to and inspired by Dylan so thoroughly that she borrows his trademark cadences without sounding like an impersonation. Uneven as it may be, Jukebox is still a worthwhile portrait of Chan Marshall's artistry.
--- - |- Photos by Kirstie Shanley and Joseph Mohan; Above: Cat Power by Kirstie Shanley Welcome to our coverage of Lollapalooza 2008, which will continue through the weekend and conclude Monday. Check back for daily reports from Joshua Klein, Amy Phillips, Matthew Solarski, and Scott Plagenhoef. For Joshua Klein's coverage, click here: FridayFor Matthew Solarski's coverage, click here: Fri...
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I taped infamous MOG outsider The Girlfriend as she discussed the best and the worst (mostly the worst) albums of the past month or so.Note to my Australian Trusteds: You get it in the neck for no good reason. Sorry. Feel free to use the comments to take down the Irish.It won't be hard.Excuses made, let us begin...*Magnetic Fields - Distortion*Fluxy: Well?The Girlfriend: A very morbid voice. Bu...
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MOGstars 7/10Cover albums are a delicate thing. They can be like Bowie's Pin-Ups and provide stimulating reworkings of well-loved tracks, or they can plumb the depths of Duran Duran's Thank You and border on Shatner-esque hilarity, or they can just sink into oblivion. Luckily, Chan Marshall has already navigated this minefield once. 2000’s imaginatively titled The Covers Album saw her knock dow.
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For many who’ve seen Cat Power gigs over the years, calmness is not a word that immediately springs to mind when trying to describe Chan Marshall. Neither has she been, for large tracts of her confounding and exceptional career, much of a populist, exactly. Her distrait otherness might have been part of the appeal to some of us, but it would hardly work as a mainstream draw.Since last year’s
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For many who’ve seen Cat Power gigs over the years, calmness is not a word that immediately springs to mind when trying to describe Chan Marshall. Neither has she been, for large tracts of her confounding and exceptional career, much of a populist, exactly. Her distrait otherness might have been part of the appeal to some of us, but it would hardly work as a mainstream draw.Since last year’s
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MOGstars 7/10Cover albums are a delicate thing. They can be like Bowie's Pin-Ups and provide stimulating reworkings of well-loved tracks, or they can plumb the depths of Duran Duran's Thank You and border on Shatner-esque hilarity, or they can just sink into oblivion. Luckily, Chan Marshall has already navigated this minefield once. 2000’s imaginatively titled The Covers Album saw her knock dow.
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i must be on my 30th or more play by now. i'm loving this record.what is most disturbing is that i bought the vinyl for 34 bucks and i'm told that it was recorded in analog but matador was too cheap to give rti (the pressing plant) the analog copy OR the high resolution 96khz master. they gave the downsampled 16bit verion and rti then transfered to vinyl. i have no idea why it would cost more b...
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I taped infamous MOG outsider The Girlfriend as she discussed the best and the worst (mostly the worst) albums of the past month or so.Note to my Australian Trusteds: You get it in the neck for no good reason. Sorry. Feel free to use the comments to take down the Irish.It won't be hard.Excuses made, let us begin...*Magnetic Fields - Distortion*Fluxy: Well?The Girlfriend: A very morbid voice. Bu...
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The tracklist for Cat Power's second covers album Jukebox has been announced. Among the classic artists that Cat Power will interpret with her deep and harrowing voice on Jukebox are Bob Dylan, Credence Clear Water Revival, James Brown and Frank Sinatra.Out on Matador January 22nd the album also includes a new Cat Power original "Song for Bobby" and a new take on her own "Metal Heart."Original ...
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If there was ever a MOG book club, The Song is You, should be the first book we all need to be reading. The book is all about how the songs we love become an integral apart of our every day existence that is the soundtrack of our life.Here's an excerpt:"But no, music lasted longer than anything it inspired...He listened to the old songs again, years later on that same dark promenade, when every...
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The Hot ListThese are albums that either a mogger or myself or misc. critics are high on:Cat Power, Jukebox: Sometimes when you do something again, the magic of the first time is missing. Not so with Chan’s new album in which she sings other people’s songs. Totally different from The Covers Album, you’ll love it.Mahjongg’s Kontpab: Mogger Jenny (http://mog.com/jenny/blog_post/138759) is ou
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Cat Power will release an album of covers on her birthday - January 21st 2008. The album, Jukebox, will feature tunes originally by Hank Williams Sr., Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan and more! Not much more info is available than this, which came from FACT Mag and Cat Power's my$pace page."Lived In Bars" from The Greatest
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Watched the film 'Dedication' last night. I loved it, and wrote a bit of something about it here.The soundtrack to the film was as unforgettable as the film. Eccentric, bittersweet, melancholic, and full of mood swings (as the character of Henry is). Cat Power's Metal Heart was the standout favourite, almost upstaging the scene, and bringing me to tears while watching.Chan Marshall's voice is ...
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--- - |- Photos by Kirstie Shanley and Joseph Mohan; Above: Cat Power by Kirstie Shanley Welcome to our coverage of Lollapalooza 2008, which will continue through the weekend and conclude Monday. Check back for daily reports from Joshua Klein, Amy Phillips, Matthew Solarski, and Scott Plagenhoef. For Joshua Klein's coverage, click here: FridayFor Matthew Solarski's coverage, click here: Fri...
More >
For many who’ve seen Cat Power gigs over the years, calmness is not a word that immediately springs to mind when trying to describe Chan Marshall. Neither has she been, for large tracts of her confounding and exceptional career, much of a populist, exactly. Her distrait otherness might have been part of the appeal to some of us, but it would hardly work as a mainstream draw.Since last year’s
More >
For many who’ve seen Cat Power gigs over the years, calmness is not a word that immediately springs to mind when trying to describe Chan Marshall. Neither has she been, for large tracts of her confounding and exceptional career, much of a populist, exactly. Her distrait otherness might have been part of the appeal to some of us, but it would hardly work as a mainstream draw.Since last year’s
More >
“Song to Bobby” by Cat Power.As always, do not over think things just click pause on the music player located in the side bar to your left before playing the YouTube.Copyright 2009 Pribek. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site [...]
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 New York |
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| 2 Ramblin' (Wo)Man |
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| 3 Metal Heart |
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| 4 Silver Stallion |
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| 5 Aretha, Sing One for Me |
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| 6 Lost Someone |
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| 7 Lord, Help the Poor & Needy |
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| 8 I Believe in You |
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| 9 Song for Bobby |
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| 10 Don't Explain |
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| 11 Women Left Lonely |
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| 12 Blue |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Jukebox")
