Cat Power’s “The Covers Record" (revised FP2)

Three words, fifteen letters, say it and I’m yours. “The Covers Record”. Boom. Chan Marshall, also known as "Cat Power" on stage, works her own unique magic and lets her hair down for a hell of an album mainly consisting of songs she didn’t write. Ranging from Bob Dylan to Robert Plant and everywhere in between, Chan’s personal side of the album is shown in her decision to hide within other’s success to further her own. Showing her shy side and her expressive inner goddess, the minimalistic piano and guitar alongside her silky smooth voice almost puts listeners in a trance. Her intimate tone is established over the entire album with the way she sounds so pure and so wholesome yet timid. It’s honestly one of Chan Marshall’s best qualities, and that’s how she transformed all of the tracks so well. Whether the track is gloomy and melancholy or a heart rendering bloom of soul, Marshall strips down the original and transforms the song into an elegant manifest of indie-rock interpretation.

“The Covers Record” is Cat Power’s highly anticipated follow-up after having released her first album, "Moon Pix" in an insanely successful manner. This time around, Chan Marshall chose an album full of covers simply because she felt more comfortable immersed in other’s material rather than her own, even though she covers one of her previously released Cat Power tunes. Comfort seems to be key within this album, not only by showing the level of intimacy Chan gives the audience but by holding the capability of transformation before our eyes (or ears). Similarly to other artists live on stage, Chan featured covers in concerts regularly; and fortunately decided to record and incorporate it into an album series. Although there was no exact say to how she picked the specific songs in the album; the album audibly creates a story upon which Chan delves into. All of the songs give way to the inner emotional volume that is unwavering in Marshall's soul, telling about her past romantic endeavors. Twisting the prior words sang by phenomenal artists into her own, she creates a melancholy, heart-aching, drawn-out love story.

Interestingly enough, one of the covers on this album is an older song of her own, "In this Hole" (and here's a link to the original). Producing a remake on her prior successfully done work, 3 years later, is impressive in the sense that Chan truly has that creative bone we all yearn for. It shows that the artist is in a new place in time, and can change and mold her work alongside her. A quiet pain and resilience is shown throughout her sodden voice, however so strong in the way she powers through. Versus the original "In this Hole" she released and put out, which was much more slightly in nature, the cover of this art shows that lyrics alone don't hold all the power; instead the beat, the tone, the voice throughout, the background music...  that's what makes a song itself. The lyrics can only be as powerful as it's surrounding accompaniment.

“Sea of Love”, originally written by John Phillip Baptiste and George Khoury, and widely known in America as being covered by the Honeydrippers first (a Robert Plant branch). The song originally has an intense 60’s psychedelic vibe alongside a bluesy-feel core. Cat Power takes “Sea of Love” and makes the song almost unrecognizable... I had to Google the original just to double check it wasn’t hers. Chan’s beautiful innocence gives the song a womanly and close vibe, creating a simple yet textured love song. Creating feelings of longing and heartache alongside tugging my heartstrings with emotions I don’t think I’ve quite felt yet, “Sea of Love” is just one of many tracks that Cat Power doesn’t create for the faint of heart. Another track that was a hot commodity of its time featured upon the album includes; “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by the one and only Rolling Stones. Although covering classics is always tough, I’ll still give her credit for the wonderful attempt. Her distressed vocals undress the song and bring it underneath Marshall’s blanketing domain of unrelenting bleak. It's the kind of soggy-cold that you feel in your bones; you feel the emotional turmoil with every breath you take, and you feel the pain and the sorrow that Marshall’s sweet soul can’t bear any more.

Some may call Cat Power’s melancholy oppressive, but I see it as powerful and self-conscientious. Marshall knew what she was doing in her own sphere of thought, and her gift is unrelenting if anything. Her quietness is rich and tells a soulful journey, and her voice is entrancing. The covers were exactly what I was looking for when defining my blog; original and real, reworked and reimagined. This is It. Cat Power's "The Covers Record" embodies It. Chan Marshall does It, and does It well.