The Greatest by the eccentric beauteous chameleon Cat Power (Chan Marshall) is a bluesy album that ranges from melancholy to glee. Recorded in Tennessee with exceptional blues musicians like Teenie Hodges, Al Green's lead guitarist and songwriter, it makes sense that this showcases a different side to the fragile artist, it's not only bluesy but polished. The album also marked a shift in Marshall's personal life. Entering a hospital after what she described as “a mental break” she dealt with many long suffering problems like depression and alcohol abuse.
The title song is a beautiful one and Lived in Bars and Where is My Love are other romantic favorites of mine. As her seventh studio album, The Greatest is perhaps her most critically successful, winning the coveted Shortlist Music Prize in 2007. It was intended by her label Matador to gain her “a much wider appeal” and it worked, though she still has a bit of a cult status instead of a sold out MTV appeal, despite her becoming a very un-indie spokesperson for Chanel, De Beers, and Cingular.
But what do you think?