The Greatest

Uncut - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his is the real thing: a shy, emotionally naked white girl finding common cause with her region's neglected musical greats, delivering an album of perilous depth....An understated masterpiece." Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[U]nsettling but intimate....[A]n album full of bittersweet love and tiny pleasures." Spin - Ranked #07 in Spin's "The 40 Best Albums of 2006" -- "An R&B album recorded in Memphis with soul-session greats..." Rolling Stone - Ranked #6 in Rolling Stone's "The Top 50 Albums Of 2006" -- "[S]he cuts deep soul with Memphis session men..." Q - Ranked #37 in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums of 2006" -- "[A] career-defining triumph..." Entertainment Weekly - Ranked #9 in Entertainment Weekly's "Top 10 Records Of 2006" -- "[A] conflicted, haunting masterpiece." Mojo - 4 stars out of 5 -- "For all their intimacy, there is still something otherworldly about these songs....By putting some warm flesh on her musical bones, Chan Marshall is punching her considerable songwriting weight....THE GREATEST lives up to its gold-plated name." Entertainment Weekly - "Marshall recorded the album in Memphis with songwriters and musicians who've worked with the likes of Al Green....She's inching her way toward expressiveness..." - Grade: B+ Magnet - "[Marshall] brings sound and sentiment together on 'The Moon,' an understated evocation of loneliness."

For The Greatest (no, it's not a hits collection), Chan Marshall returned to Memphis, TN to make an homage to the Southern soul and pop she listened to as a young girl. Working with great Memphis soul musicians such as Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, Leroy "Flick" Hodges, and Dave Smith, she crafted an album that is even more focused and accessible than You Are Free was. The title track, with its lush, "Moon River" strings and lyrics about a young boy who wanted to become a boxer, is a subtle but powerful statement of purpose. On the gospel-tinged "Living Proof" and the charming "Could We," Marshall is sexy, strong, and playful. The Greatest is exceedingly well done, and the perfect introduction to Marshall's music. ~ Heather Phares|

The Greatest (no, it's not a hits collection) makes it clear just how much Chan Marshall grows with each album she releases. Three years on from You Are Free, she sounds reinvented yet again: Marshall returned to Memphis, TN -- where she recorded What Would the Community Think nearly a decade earlier -- to make an homage to the Southern soul and pop she listened to as a young girl. Working with great Memphis soul musicians such as Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, Leroy "Flick" Hodges, and Dave Smith, she crafted an album that is even more focused and accessible than You Are Free was, and pushes her even closer toward straightforward singer/songwriter territory. The title track is a subtle but powerful statement of purpose: with its lush, "Moon River" strings and lyrics about a young boy who wanted to become a boxer, the song is as moving as her earlier work but also a big step away from the angst-ridden diary-rock that her music is sometimes categorized as. Likewise, on the gospel-tinged "Living Proof" and the charming "Could We," Marshall is sexy, strong, and playful, and far from the stereotype of her as a frail, howling waif. But the truth is, sweet Southern songs like these have been in her repertoire since What Would the Community Think's "They Tell Me" and "Taking People" (You Are Free's "Good Woman" and "Half of You" are also touchstones for this album); The Greatest is just a more polished, palatable version of this side of her music. This is the most listenable Cat Power album Marshall has made, and one that could easily win her lots of new fans. It's also far from a sell-out -- The Greatest sounds like the album Marshall wanted to make, without any specific (or larger) audience in mind. And yet, the very things about The Greatest that make it appealing to a larger audience also make it less singular and sublime than, say, Moon Pix or You Are Free. The productions and arrangements on songs like "Lived in Bars" and "Empty Shell" are so immaculate and intricate that they threaten to overwhelm Marshall's gorgeous voice. And, occasionally, the album's warm, soulful, laid-back vibe goes from mellow to sleepy, particularly on "Willie" and "The Moon." Two of The Greatest's best songs show that she doesn't need to be edgy and tortured or gussied up with elaborate productions to sound amazing: "Where Is My Love" reaffirms that all Marshall needs is a piano and that voice to make absolutely spellbinding music. On the other hand, "Love & Communication"'s modern, complicated take on love gains a quiet intensity with judiciously used strings and keyboards. For what it is, The Greatest is exceedingly well done, and people who have never heard of Cat Power before could very well love this album immediately. However, it might take a little more work for those who have loved her music from the beginning. ~ Heather Phares