The Tripod

Media Credit: http://www.myspace.com/catpower [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: http://www.myspace.com/catpower [Click to enlarge]

When most artists attempt covers, the results are usually dreadful (Lindsay Lohan's remake of Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" is enough to give anyone the corny chills) - unless that artist, of course, is Chan Marshall (alias Cat Power). Jukebox, Marshall's second full-length album of covers, which includes new interpretations of familiar artists such as Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra, veers in a slightly different direction from the sparse, melancholy Covers Record of 2000.

While Jukebox sufficiently showcases the Southern-bred singer's incomparable voice and raw talent, it is obvious that her music is in a new place, and whether that is good or bad is dependent upon the audience. Her sound is no longer evocative of the early alcohol-fueled, emotionally fragile Power characterized by miserable, albeit incredibly rich songwriting that early fans came to know. The days of "Ice Water" and "I Don't Blame You" seem to be long gone. Some may even complain that Marshall is too talented to waste her efforts on covers; yet, there is no doubt that she has the Midas touch when it comes to them, reworking the familiar into the unrecognizable in a beautiful (and sometimes irreverent) way.

The opening track is a slow-burning rendition of Sinatra's "New York, New York," except this version is simply called "New York." Though binge-boozing has become a thing of the past, Marshall's smoky-smooth voice maintains the kind of timbre achieved through years' worth of cigarettes and scotch. Her voice is at its cathartic best in a reworking of "Metal Heart" from Moon Pix, one of the two songs that are her own on the album. Though not as mesmeric as the original, the integration of electric guitar into this version makes the track a worthwhile listen. "Song to Bobby," the other Cat Power original on the album, is heavily reminiscent of 60s Dylan. Marshall's penchant for Dylan can be further seen with "I Believe in You," which feels weak and is not as memorable as her other Dylan covers. The strongest track is a sorrowful, unforgiving cover of Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain," in which Marshall sings "Cry to hear folks chatter / And I know you cheat / … / Sit down, have a seat / It's your turn to feel the pain / It's your turn to weep / Don't Explain." The original lilting, jazzy notes are replaced by lush, piano-driven melodies, intensifying the understated sadness of Marshall's voice.

Other highlights include "Ramblin' (Wo)man," a sultry (but loose) interpretation of the Hank Williams classic. Marshall channels the clean, yet affective, sparseness of The Covers Record in the acoustic-only version of the Highwaymen's "Silver Stallion" and she especially commits on "Lost Someone," a James Brown ballad -- it's easy to catch the tweaked lyrics "trillion to one" instead of Brown's "million."

As an album, Jukebox is not Marshall's best; but as a collection of covers, it is solid. All of the songs are pretty though they do not have the neurotic edge found in her original works.

In addition to dabbling in covers, Marshall has kept busy with various side-projects, including recording the noteworthy song "I've Been Thinking" on Handsome Boy Modeling School's White People and, more recently, making an appearance on EL-P's latest album for the track "Poisenville Kids No Wins," a song about both artists' struggle with alcohol addiction. She has even wooed Karl Lagerfeld into giving her a gig as the new face of Chanel Fine Jewelry.

Since overcoming alcohol addiction, Marshall seems to have gained a bit of newfound confidence that has helped make her characteristically temperamental live shows and emotional hypersensitivity a thing of the past. Power's oldest fans -- the ones that have always been quick to suggest that if only she would just tune her guitar once in a while, stop running off the stage and crying, stop being paranoid, and stop excessively apologizing for all of the above - will probably the first ones to disapprove of her evolution because, as cliched as it may seem, fans who have seen an artist through her so-called 'dark period' are often quick to correlate sobriety with decline in quality of music. Yes, perhaps her sound is different, and yes, she is likely to gather a crop of new listeners. It is doubtful, however, that the original fans who still managed to be beguiled by Cat Power during her difficult early years would entirely retract their support. As a matter of fact, Jukebox should serve as a caveat to all other artists that only a talent of Marshall's caliber can get away with recording not one, but two albums dedicated exclusively to covers.

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