The story of Cat Power, (Chan Marshall), is as remarkable one as any in modern Rock and Roll. An 'outsider' artist who for many years made her way through the alternative scene of small venues, underground gigs and DIY culture and with a reputation for being on the edge in every way possible. She has, bit by bit over the intervening two decades of her musical career, made inroads into mainstream American culture to the point where her last record 2012's Sun, made the Top Ten Billboard Album chart.
Now she's back with Wanderer and it's a mesmerising listen. A marginalised woman and artist who has journeyed to a place where she demands attention through the sheer, undeniable power of her talent alone. Wanderer is as sparse and spartan as any of her previous records, it's just Cat's voice really plus the most minimal of instrumentation but there's so much soul, passion, heartbreak and feeling here.. In many ways she's a Folk or Blues artist, in the purest sense of those traditions (in a line from Robert Johnson and Leadbelly), and here the production has the clearest, state of the art sheen imaginable.
You get Woman, a duet with Lana Del Ray. You get Stay, a cover of the Rihanna song. You get auto-tune.You get Black, one of the best songs I've heard this year, which I hope I'll be able to post on here in my end of year rundown. The whole album's a treasure, eleven tracks to slot upon a back catalogue that's already crammed with classics. We should be grateful we have her.
No comments:
Post a Comment