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CAT POWER - JUKEBOX (180g 2LP)

Cat Power Jukebox On Deluxe-Edition 180g 2-LP Vinyl Set!

5 Bonus Cuts Not On the Standard CD Version!

Eight years is a long time in almost any artist's career, but in Cat Power's case, it's an even more sizeable gulf, as Chan Marshall's collections of other people's songs reflect. 2000's The Covers Album found her becoming an ever-more nuanced performer, tempering the rawness and intensity of her earlier albums with a lighter approach. 2008's 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, blues and jazz feels lived-in and natural. Marshall recorded this set with her touring act, the Dirty Delta Blues Band, which includes some of indie-rock's finest players, includng 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 Album, 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 is completely different but just as compelling. 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 is 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.

Cat Power Jukebox Track Listing

1. New York (Frank Sinatra)
2. Ramblin’ (Wo)man (Hank Williams)
3. Metal Heart (Cat Power *)
4. Silver Stallion (The Highwaymen)
5. Aretha, Sing One For Me (George Jackson)
6. Lost Someone (James Brown)
7. Lord, Help The Poor And Needy (Jessie Mae Hemphill)
8. I Believe In You (Bob Dylan)
9. Song To Bobby (Cat Power **)
10. Don’t Explain (Billie Holiday)
11. Woman Left Lonely (Janis Joplin)
12. Blue (Joni Mitchell)

Bonus Tracks
13. I Feel (Hot Boys)
14. Naked, If I Want To (Moby Grape)
15. Breathless (Nick Cave)
16. Angelitos Negros (Roberta Flack)
17. She’s Got You (Patsy Cline)