Album Review: Cat Power - Jukebox

Cat Power - Jukebox

(Matador, 2008)

63%


"Metal Heart" [mp3]
(Busted By Web Sheriff 1/22/08)





How does someone review a covers album? Does one judge the selection of songs, their treatment, or their place within the artist's catalog? I ask because I've never been the biggest fan of covers. All I know is, a good cover should maintain the charm/intensity/essence of the original, while also allowing the artist to incorporate his or her unique sound. (Consider, on the most basic level, Yo La Tengo's take on the Simpsons' theme. This brief cover is unarguably faithful to the original, yet sounds like a version only YLT could envision.)

This crucial requirement is perhaps the biggest reason why Cat Power's second covers album fails to captivate.

Jukebox continues Chan Marshall's transition to bluesier, more soulful work, a la 2006's The Greatest. This creates some intriguing results, such as her jazzy renditions of "Theme from 'New York, New York'" or James' Brown's "Lost Someone."

Yet, and perhaps this is the cover-hater in me, Marshall's most narcisstic -- and accomplished -- moment comes via a cover of "Metal Heart" off her 1998 album Moon Pix. I think this track may be in the running for 2008's Best Songs from Mediocre/Bad Albums, as we see an already standout track given the new smokier, bluesier Cat Power treatment.

I'm not sure what Marshall has in store for us next. Until then, I'll be listening to The Greatest and wondering when she'll get back to doing what she does best -- her own music.