The Greatest

The album blends the highlighted soul elements with the prior piano-lead joy of Cat Power, offering something between 'Dusty in Memphis' and Patti Smith. The sophoric/transcendental qualities Power offers recall Mazzy Star/Hope Sandoval too - it's been a good year or so for talented females incidentally: Neko Case, Fiona Apple, Vashti Bunyan, Joanna Newsom, Candi Staton, Marissa Nadler, Kate Bush, Bjork, Laura Cantrell, Isobel Campbell...which is not to same that being female they are all the same - but to point out that many great records are being made by females.It should be easy for people to get lost in the shuffle...

'The Greatest' is (predictably) the Greatest- not really a dud here and I kind of feel cheated that I waited a few weeks before getting it - we've lost hours together. 'The Moon' and 'Islands' are moments of poetic joy - you can see why someone mentioned 'Astral Weeks' in an earlier review - while the conclusion of 'Hate' and 'Love & Communication' offers up something close to a concept sequence, Cobain cited on the former ("I said I hate myself and I want to die")- while the latter is more surreal with the use of 'Cuz' suggesting Chan's a Slade-fan!

This album seems to have opened Cat Power up a bit more - I was quite shocked to hear 'The Greatest' being played by Wogan on Radio 2 one morning (...perhaps I imagined that...) I'd say it features as many great songs as Marshall has recorded before - 'Lived In Bars' perfectly blending her soulful aspirations and her caustic confessional - the lyrics of 'Lived In Bars' belong more to a Paul Westerberg world than a Ryan Adams one. The best song here, and the track I'd justify buying the album for alone is 'Living Proof' - which is to be a single and has had a promo made by Harmony Korine ('Gummo','Julien Donkey-Boy'). This has a gorgeous soul groove nailed to Chan's piano, while an emotive organ recalling Al Kooper adds to Marshall's perfect phrasing (the fade out too soon as Chan begins to testify in vain is the kind of thing peak Dylan would have done...). The lyrics are brilliant and given pristeen delivery to fantastic musicianship and arrangement - I've listened to this song on repeat over and over and over again ('Like a Rolling Stone'? - PAH!!) It's one of those songs like Robert Wyatt's 'Sea Song', Dennis Wilson's 'Time', Neko Case's 'Tightly', My Bloody Valentine's 'Loomer' & Scott Walker's 'Farmer in the City' I can just get lost in...Just listen to those words sung that way with that voice: "It's not your face or the color of your hair/Or the sound of your voice my dear that's got me dragged in here/(change in phrasing)It's the ice in the seam, the scheme of you/(another shift)You're supposed to have the answer/You're supposed to have living proof...Yes I was jealous- cos you are sworn (you're sworn...)/How could you come undone to a word so strong?/(another change in emphasis)My beating heart the anchor to a ship so warm/(building on the previous conclusion)/You're supposed to have the answer/You're supposed to have living proof - Well I am your answer/I am living...Will you terrorize this with your perfect lips?/I watch you eat and feed this mess to the running wind [Dylanesque in its obliqueness!]/(the change...)But I know you from before and after until then/Do you have your answer?/Do you have living proof?/Well I am your answer - I am living...(...and the song builds to a testimonial climax)You're supposed to have an answer/You're supposed to have living proof/Well do you have your answer?/Well I am your answer/I am living..." A perfect song and number one for eternity in my happy utopia...

'The Greatest' is a fantastic album, adding to the brilliant career thus far - shame Marshall's cancelled the tour - can we have another album recorded in some woods please?

Single "The Greatest" is every bit as good as you would expect but it's by no means the only highlight on this brilliant album. "Could We" sparkles and shimmies, whilst "Willie" starts off sounding like a Ben Folds song but transforms itself into something else entirely over the course of a listen. "Hate" is earthy and raw and whilst somewhat out of place in some senses on this album, does hark back to some of her previous work.

My personal pick of the bunch is "Love And Communication." Right at the end of the album (ignoring the bonus 'unadvertised' track) I was already enthralled by the album, but this track quickly was stuck on repeat play with its blaze of guitars and strings.

You don't look to a Cat Power album for a cheery, laugh a minute, session and whist on the surface the tunes, such as "After It All" may make this seem like some kind of departure, but before you get too carried away lyrics such as "I hate myself and I want to die" remind you just who you are listening to.

It's perhaps not the leap that Marshall may have made, but this is still a fantastic collection of songs, which certainly does live up their with her greatest work and certainly defies any easy catergorisation. It's a liitle bit country, it's a little bit soul, but it's a whole lot Cat Power. She's pulled it off again.