Cat Power - The Greatest - Matador
Cat Power’s latest album provides her loyal fan base with the same mellow, piano-based ballads that have pleased them for so long. However, with her move to a Memphis studio, this latest album comes with an additional bluesy sheen, provided by various of the cities’ notable professional musicians. This Southern soul element of The Greatest complements her sorrowful vocals and melodies, elevating songs like “The Greatest” and “Lived in Bars” to an emotional apogee. In less passionate tracks, the Motown horns and spry guitar riffs still lend a lively layer to the songwriter’s casual arrangements.
Despite such versatile guest contributions, however, The Greatest often stumbles into droning pitfalls, leaving something greater to be desired. While Cat Power’s sense of emotion and passion remains consistent in her vocals throughout the album, the songs themselves provide the listener with little to hold his attention after the first several songs. While with The Greatest, Cat Power continues to uphold her solid, rainy-day brood, the effect of this latest album’s innovation doesn’t last long enough to carry it out of its potential “background music” status in the long run.
-Taylor Hobson
