Review Summary: A great album for a beginner into Southern Soul Pop. Something to expand your tastes with in this genre
What a compelling voice! what a sound!!!
Cat Power or Chan Marshall has one hell of a voice. It's a voice that'll stop you day dreaming as you drive home from work on a cold winters day when the local radio station plays her single. The sort voice that will prep your ears up like a puppy whose never heard thunder.
And then you say after it's all over "who the f*&K was that"
I had never heard of Cat Power before this moment in my car and after I recovered I went and got her album. Soul and pop mixed together in polished near perfect sound. It's warm, calm, reflective as if you were in a room with only her and she was telling you about herself, about her past, her friends, family, fears. It is one of the most intimate works I have ever heard.
Chan works her magic with a backup group of Southern Soul veterans. I can imagine that this would have been quite the challenge considering their pedigree, but one feels it empowered her, tightend her reign and confidence on her insturment.
The album starts with The Greatest, a beautiful piano piece that reflects on a boxer who wanted to make it and now reflects in his failure. Things pick up with the tonky Living Proof and then falls back on the disparing Lived in Bars. It then moves into the centrepiece "Willie". From here, we get some sweet soul touches " Where Is My Love" and "Islands". This is all wrapped up with the rocker "Love and Communication", a very intense look at a relationship and it's dynamics.
If you have never heard Cat Power get this album. If not, send letters for her to go on American Idol, because I would love to know how she would go on that show!!!
