Cat Power
You Are Free
Matador Records
After half a decade without any new material,
Chan Marshall's sixth album,
You Are Free, arrives eagerly anticipated, and largely meets expectations. While the vast array of styles attempted doesn't hang together as seamlessly as
Moon Pix,
You Are Free's best moments are as good or better than anything that's come before it. One such moment is "Good Woman," a pitch-perfect country-blues ballad faintly reminiscent of the
Cowboy Junkies, which is one place you can hear the contributions of much publicized guest
Eddie Vedder, whose quiet but very recognizable backing vocals nicely complement the song, as do the silvery harmonies of a pair of 12-year-old girls
Marshall met at a
Paul Westerberg record store performance while she was recording the album in Seattle. Elsewhere
Marshall goes indie rock in a way we haven't heard from her in awhile, as in the driving first single "He War" or the playful, bouncy "Speak for Me." There are moments of harrowing seriousness, but also more moments of lightness and hope than we're used to from Marshall. The freedom of the album's title is a prevailing theme throughout, giving the impression that more than ever
Marshall had found ways to escape the demons that so haunted her earlier in her career, settling into herself as a person even while growing as an artist.
Jesse Ashlock
last updated:
04/08/06
