What a year it was for Atlanta's favorite musical daughter, Chan Marshall, who records and performs as Cat Power. In January, she released this stunner of a record, on which her beautiful songs and gorgeous bourbon-and-honey voice are backed by the Memphis Rhythm Band, many of the same musicians you hear on the great Al Green hits of the 70s. Fans and critics swooned over the soulful twist her sound had taken, this was universally lauded as her best work ever, and all seemed right in the world of Cat Power. Then came word that her tour in support of the record was cancelled, for "health reasons." Longtime fans -- accustomed to years of sublime music, but also countless shows at which Chan was barely sober or focused enough to stay perched in her chair, much less get through an entire song -- had reason to be very, very worried. Then, in the early summer, she emerged from rehab, sober, smiling, slimmed-down, ridiculously sexy and sounding better than ever. Most amazing of all, she proceeded to mount a lengthy worldwide tour (still underway) and turn in wonderful, focused, inspired performances night after night. ( I saw her twice this year, both solo and with the full band, and both shows were excellent.) So it looks like our girl Chan is back, safe and sound. And thank God for it, because to have lost her after she delivered a career-best record like this would have been doubly tragic. Yearning, romantic, world-weary, heartbreaking and even downright catchy in places (surely "Could We" is as close to a hit single as Chan will ever give us), and bathed in bass, guitar, piano, horns and strings that accentuate the soulful Southerness that is in her DNA, no matter where her beauty and fame may carry her, this is just a lovely, lovely collection of songs. I can't wait to see what a healthy and happy Chan will do next.LISTEN / DOWNLOAD: The Greatest, on which Chan more or less foresees the struggles that lay ahead of her -- "Once I wanted to be the greatest / No wind or waterfall could stall me / And then came the rush of the flood / Stars of night turned deep to dust" -- as the swooning strings quote "Moon River" behind her. Simply stunning.
1 comment:
The solo show at The EARL was a highpoint of the year. Amazing show. Thanks for telling me about that one.
I love this album, and I am going back and forth between four songs for my annual year-end compilation: The Greatest, Lived in Bars, Willie, and Could We. Could We makes the list just because she told me that it was about "doing it in the afternoon."
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