Cat Power – Jukebox
- Author:
- Chris Peken
- Posted:
- Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Jukebox ‘ Cat Power
BY CHRIS PEKEN
What is Cat Power up to’ Is this her or her record label’ Are they positioning her as the new Joni Mitchell’ The covers’ queen’ Jukebox follows on from The Greatest, two albums of cover versions in a row. Make of that what you will. As an album it is Power’s slickest, with a settled band – the Dirty Delta Blues – featuring The Dirty Three’s Jim White, Jon Spenser Blues Explosion’s Judah Bauer, Delta 72′s Gregg Foreman and Lizard Music’s Erik Paparozzi, laying down the sort of musical basis that melds modern indie with Motown smooth Power is given a platform to sing. Opening with Sinatra’s New York and closing with Mitchell’s Blue this is the sort of covers Cat Power has become known for, taking a melody that hints at recognition and laying her downy, husky, gentle tones across the songs. The Highwaymen’s Silver Stallion is given the simplest acoustic and slide treatment and allowed to shine alongside another Dylan contribution, I Believe in You that slowly swaggers courtesy of a swanky, swinging guitar part that Keith Richards would be proud to call his own. Perhaps the cover image gives you an idea of where they are heading with Cat Power, it doesn’t do her complete justice.
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Story posted on Wednesday, 30 January 2008, filed under Arts & Entertainment, CD Reviews, Music. Follow responses via the RSS feed.
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