Sun proves that Cat Power still has spunk

By Navneet Nara

After nearly two decades of brooding, Cat Power found a bit of happiness. Sun didn’t come easy for Cat Power, after troubles with debt and a nervous breakdown, Chan Marshall (known to us as Cat Power) took a break from writing. The follow up to 2006’s The Greatest, Sun is Cat Power’s rebirth. An upbeat “Cherokee” starts the album with piano and guitar in a tempo fit for a summer’s drive. Even with Cat Power’s ever-brooding voice, “Cherokee” still manages to be groovy. The title track is flourished with clever drumbeats and stomping bass. Cat Power’s writing and ability to morph different vocal ranges is prominent in “3, 6, 9,” a catchy track with rhythmic lyrics. “Here on my belly in the still of the night/I feel alone,” she croons, backed by punchy tambourines.

“Nothin’ But Time” may be the most reminiscent of The Greatest, with its woozy vocals and melancholic percussion. Following that 10-minute track, Sun finishes up with the short and sweet “Peace and Love.” Though Sun is a solid album, it’s also an absent-minded one. There are a few gems, like “Manhattan,” but these become easily overshadowed by songs like “Ruin,” bitingly declaring a gripe with “Bitching, complaining from some people who ain’t got shit to eat.” That’s the spunk that secures Cat Power’s reign over the crooning female genre.

Despite the massive shift from Cat Power’s earlier albums, Sun shows a new side of Chan Marshal that is likely to linger longer than the summer sun.