Cat Power has earned unmatched critical acclaim among critics over her 11-year singer/songwriter career. Since her first Matador Records release, What Would the Community Think, Chan Marshall'under the feline-empowerment pseudonym Cat Power'produced a consistent and creative back catalogue that justified her unanimous praise.
Her candid lyrics and gloomy arrangement can overwhelm listeners at times, and sometimes even Marshall herself. Her legendary onstage emotional breakdowns confirm that her artistic motives are not cathartic; Cat Power records thrive in a world of hurt that cannot be healed through mere expression.
If there's a lesson from Cat Power's career arc, it is that depression sells, at least in the limited world of rock critics and indie music fans. By writing emotionally affecting songs, Marshall assumes a level of sincerity that overcomes her simple and sometimes repetitive arrangements.
But that is all part of the Cat Power project. She allows her lyrics and her fragile voice to breathe by placing them against sparse and simple backdrops.
On her latest album, The Greatest, Marshall switches up this formula. She enlists legendary Memphis soul musicians like Teenie Hodges, Flick Hodges, Dave Smith and Booker T. and the MG's drummer Steve Potts to shift the focus of her sound.
On past albums Cat Power would slip into a country soul persona on a track or two, but The Greatest is entirely dedicated to the kind of music Marshall grew up listening to while living in the South. The result of this shift is an accessible and meticulously produced album that sometimes wanders into generic singer/songwriter territory.
This new, cleaned-up Cat Power might turn off fans of Marshall's rawer and noisier side. There is nothing as openly angst-ridden as the chilling 'Nude as the News,' because The Greatest is intended to be a subtle album.
Marshall still succeeds in breaking your heart through larger and softer arrangements that blend well with her beautiful voice. The title track is an instant Cat Power classic that combines the old and new by using country-twanged strings and faint backing vocals over a pretty piano melody.
Elsewhere, Marshall creates some sunny songs like 'Living Proof' that are among her best mid-tempo numbers. The album has occasional missteps, particularly in the middle section. The backing band's skill and professionalism sometimes propel songs into an unfamiliar middle ground. 'Empty Shell' and 'Where is My Love' plod in soulful jazz that approaches adult contemporary.
Marshall hasn't completely lost all of her grit, though. The fantastic closer, 'Love and Communication,' feels urgent with its dirtier guitar, pulsing violins and an angrier tone in Marshall's voice, which suggests that she acknowledges the songwriting angle she has left behind.
Marshall inadvertently trades the familiar for the safe: she forfeits her unique abilities, producing an above-average record relative to her contemporaries but a disappointing one when compared to her previous work.
