Things I Think About When I Think About Cat Power

It was the best of shows, it was the blurst of shows>
No ground is being broken to say Chan Marshall is enigmatic as a live performer. Saw her at the Troubadour put on an amazing show after Moon Pix came out. (Probably one of my favorite Troubadour shows ever.) She was fronting a three piece. The issues were evident when the guitarist had to follow her off-stage to coax her back for an encore. Saw her a couple years later at McCabe's Guitar Store by herself, supporting her first covers album. With no one to keep her on track, she wandered through songs aimlessly. The audience treated her like an 8 year old at a piano recital, encouraging her with uncomfortable applause and shouting for her to keep plugging away. Not such an enjoyable time. Especially coming off the Troubadour show where she was astonishingly good. I haven't seen her in a while, but just from what I've read and from current eyewitness accounts, it seems she's not the same skittish kitty from those first few tours.

She can pull off bangs>
There's no need to go into whether I think Ms. Marshall is a looker or not. She is a top shelf songwriter with one of the best voices on the planet. She is above such discussion. I will say this though: Most girls cannot pull off bangs. Chan Marshall can pull off bangs. I will leave it at that.

If you could sing at my funeral>
Yes, it's macabre, but the only thing I want a say in for my funeral, much like my wedding, is the music. I want to be able to pick the music. And I think there are a few vocalists who sound like angels. Or I hope angels sound as good. One is Mimi Parker from Low and the other is Chan Marshall. I'm not sure what songs I'd want from the Cat Power catalog. Maybe "Good Woman" or "Half of You" from You Are Free. I love her cover of the Velvets' "I Found a Reason." "The Moon" from The Greatest has some applicable lyrics. I think "Colors and the Kids" might be too much. (See below.)

It must be the colors and the kids>
"Colors and the Kids" from Moon Pix may be one of the most devastating songs in my library. It's an open wound of a tune. It's the simplest piano with the clearest tone. No effects. Absolutely clean. You can actually hear her take her foot off the sustain pedal at the end. And then there's the vocal. It's as utterly exposed as a performer can get on a record. And it's beautiful to behold. That song alone would make Moon Pix my favorite record of hers. Luckily the other songs on it are pretty incredible as well. Including the song I decided to try a cover of.

As usual, click the pic Up and to the Right for a few Cat Power selections.