Meow!

Love it...Love her. She is so uninhibited, so raw, so free. It seems that she DOES what so many others TRY to do. And the amount of power in her little voice is astounding and inspiring. The only down side i guess is that the album (and most all her songs) are abit down (depressive is too extreme). but if you like her, you proabably like that sort of thing anyways.

Sick of waiting

She came out all hyped up (I bought the first CD on the strength of a glowing "Big Takeover" review), and I just didn't see it. The songs just went nowhere, hookless and drifting, and her voice seems purposely breathless. So here we are, several years later, and nothing has changed. A little funk injection in places does not help. I'm through waiting for her to get it, whatever it would be for her.

Impressive

First time Cat Power listener and I'm impressed. Working with veteran Memphis musicians, she has made a soft, seductive, and very in control R and B and light jazz CD. If you could still smoke in bars and lounges, this is what you'd hear through the gray haze. Complemented by strings, tinkling piano, and slow drums, her voice at times reminds me a touch of Marianne Faithful or, reaching further back, Dusty Springfield. Her lyrics can be lovelorn direct and, in spots, almost cliched (e.g. Could We, a cut redeemed by its light swing arrangement). Examples: Living Proof, Where Is My Love, and the all-too-short Islands. They can also be nearly impossible to fathom -- Lived in Bars and the title cut, which may be autobiographical or about a beat-up boxer. The strongest cuts come earlier in the CD -- first three in particular, The Greatest, Living Proof, and Lived in Bars. Willie (way too long) and After It All are the weakest. All in all, this is an excellent listen for its full-length and one that I return to more than I'd initially expected.