Eight years is a long time in almost any artist's career, but in
Cat Power's case, it's an even more sizable gulf, as
Chan Marshall's collections of other people's songs reflect. Released in 2000,
The Covers Record found her becoming an ever more nuanced performer, tempering the rawness and intensity of her earlier albums with a lighter approach. Arriving in 2008,
Jukebox reaffirms what a polished artist she's become, especially since her Memphis soul homage
The Greatest. But where
The Greatest sometimes bordered on slick,
Jukebox's blend of country, soul, blues, and jazz feels lived-in and natural.
Marshall recorded this set with her touring act, the Dirty Delta Blues Band, featuring some of indie rock's finest players, including her longtime drummer,
the Dirty Three's
Jim White -- who gives even the quietest moments vitality -- as well as
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's
Judah Bauer and
Chavez's
Matt Sweeney, so it's not surprising that the album often plays like an especially well-recorded concert. However, some of the session legends she worked with on
The Greatest make guest appearances, including
Teenie Hodges and
Spooner Oldham.
Oldham's song for
Janis Joplin, "A Woman Left Lonely," appears here, and the original's sophisticated yet earthy sound is one of the album's biggest influences.
As on
The Covers Record,
Marshall makes bold choices. She citifies
Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man" (switched to "Ramblin' [Wo]Man" here), turning it slinky and smoky with spacious drums and rippling Rhodes; despite the very different surroundings, the song's desperate loneliness remains.
Joni Mitchell's icily beautiful "Blue" gets a thaw and a late-night feel that are completely different but just as compelling. Not all of
Jukebox's transformations are this successful:
Marshall's penchant for turning formerly brash songs brooding (like
The Covers Record's "Satisfaction") sounds too predictable on
Frank Sinatra's "New York." And, while the choice to change
James Brown's "I Lost Someone" from searing and pleading to languid was brave, the results fall flat. One of the most drastic remakes is
Marshall's own
Moon Pix track "Metal Heart," which adds more drama and dynamics to one of her prettiest melodies. While the way this version swings from aching verses to cathartic choruses works, the subtlety and simplicity of the original are missed. Indeed, many of
Jukebox's best moments are the simplest.
Marshall's reworking of
the Highwaymen's 1990 hit "Silver Stallion" frees the song from its dated production, replacing it with acoustic guitar and pedal steel that impart a timeless, restless beauty. She pays
Bob Dylan homage with a gritty, defiant, yet reverent take on "I Believe in You" from his 1978 Christian album
Slow Train Coming and "Song to Bobby,"
Jukebox's lone new track, dedicated to and inspired by
Dylan so thoroughly that she borrows his trademark cadences without sounding like an impersonation. Uneven as it may be,
Jukebox is still a worthwhile portrait of
Chan Marshall's artistry. [The deluxe edition of
Jukebox comes with a bonus disc of five more covers that are even better than the ones on the album proper, including a languidly sexy reading of
Nick Cave's "Breathless" and a rollicking "Naked, If I Want To," originally by
Moby Grape.] ~ Heather Phares