You are Free

Cat Power

Matador Records

You are Free,…

You are Free

Cat Power

Matador Records

You are Free, Cat Power’s first album in three years, is an accurate reflection of Chan Marshall’s chameleon-like nature. In a relatively small amount of time, Cat Power, Marshall’s stage name, has gone from indie rock networking in the ’90s at New York City punk collective/performance space ABC No Rio, to appearing in TV ads for The Gap.

Singing while alternating between guitar and piano with nods to Liz Phair and Joni Mitchell, Marshall manages to retain a somewhat pedestrian nature as a solo artist, yet her vague lyrics, sweet voice and penchant for simplicity give her an uncommon mystique. Her sparse songs hint at a traumatizing past, yet Marshall’s subdued Southern-drawl crooning won’t quite let the listener in.

In past Cat Power albums, Marshall’s songs and voice sound like they’re on the verge of self-destructing, which has literally happened, as she is notoriously prone to near-debilitating performance anxiety. Marshall is still shaky on You are Free, but the album overall is more outspoken with the additions of vocals, drums and electric guitar. In 1998, Marshall delivered beautiful melodies on Moon Pix, and in 2000, she transformed various favorites such as the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” and the Velvet Underground’s “I Found a Reason” on The Covers Album.

On You are Free, Marshall covers blues with “Werewolf” by Michael Hurley and “Keep on Runnin’ (Crawlin’ Black Spider)” by John Lee Hooker, and takes an adventurous leap in playing electric guitar over rushing drums on the uncharacteristically upbeat track “He War.” The album also includes two duets with Eddie Vedder (think the pre-rock part of the Pearl Jam hit “Better Man”) on the tracks “Good Woman” and “Evolution.”

You are Free is not as minimalist as past Cat Power albums, since it incorporates drums, bass, violins and additional vocals. The track “Free” even has a small chorus of voices repeating “free” at the end. However, 14 tracks of melancholy are perhaps too much for one album. At times, You are Free is tragic, as with the track “Names” that concisely describes the drug- and child-abuse addled memories of several youths.

This album is more of the same from Cat Power, as it still cuts through excess with stripped-down song structures and Marshall’s wavering vocals – an especially satisfying listen on lonely nights.