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Cat Power - You Are Free Audio CD

A fair review of the Cat Power "You Are Free" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Cat Power reviews here, or go back to the Cat Power tabs.

Cat Power Band: Cat Power
Title: You Are Free
Rating:
Release Date: 2003-02-18
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: I Don't Blame You 2: Free 3: Good Woman 4: Speak for Me 5: Werewolf 6: Fool 7: He War 8: Shaking Paper 9: Babydoll 10: Maybe Not 11: Names 12: Half of You 13: Keep on Runnin' (Crawlin' Black Spider) 14: Evolution

great collection!
A really great collection of the song that Cat Power creates - maybe her best! .


my personal favorite cat power album
It has "Maybe Not" which came out at a time where things in the world seemed a bit out of control, and out of the hands of the common person, and just said "we all do what we can. I'm noticing that this is the most-reviewed Cat Power album on Amazon (or at least in a close race with The Greatest), but I wanted to add my review to the pile because this is my favorite. " I saw Chan's crazy free summer concert in NYC a few years back and while that show was chaotic fun (she stopped playing for a while to chase a squirrel around the stage, trying to feed it some bread), that song brought tears to my eyes. Anyway, this album also has "Good Woman" which is a simple, beautifully written song, and some of the best hooks, in my opinion, that Chan's written. But I like just about everything she does. (My screenname is a Cat Power reference, so there you go. ).


Cat Power at her best.
Her sixth release, You Are Free (2003), is among my favorite Cat Power albums. Known for her minimalist style, sparse guitar and piano backing, and otherworldly vocals, and equally notorious for her chaotic, tearful, and unpolished live performances, Cat Power is the stage name of New York City singer/songwriter Chan Marshall. It features Dave Grohl (of Nirvana and The Foo Fighters) on drums and Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam) on backing vocals on a couple of the tracks. Better known for her cover albums (The Covers Record; The Greatest; and Jukebox), You Are Free is all original Cat Power material. Tracks include:

1. I Don't Blame You (3:04)
2. Free (3:33)
3. Good Woman (3:56)
4. Speak For Me (3:01)
5. Werewolf (4:05)
6. Fool (3:47)
7. He War (3:29)
8. Shaking Paper (4:27)
9. Babydoll (3:05)
10. Maybe Not 4:16
11. Names (4:49)
12. Half Of You (2:39)
13. Keep On Runnin' (3:49)
14. Evolution (4:45)

The intense emotions in these songs are real. Shortly after releasing this album, Cat Power suffered a "psychotic break" that resulted in a brief admission to the Psychiatric ward at Miami's Mount Sinai.

G. Merritt
.


Not for the Faint of Heart
Some people get too into the "complexity" of music and forget that it is not just math but mystery too. This album hit my heart like a bullet. This album is soul. It is mystery. It is (expletive) beautiful.


Covers all of her over-hyped, over-praised sensibilities nicely
So I guess this would be one of her better embellishments, taking what little framework she has a a pianist/guitarist and spinning it into something a little more edge-like. I want to say this is one of her more solid releases, but I've always felt Marshall's songwriting was anything but solid. Most of the time her frail, minimal approach does not succeed simply due to a lack of range. I am all for the style, but one must always learn the rules before unlearning them, Cat Power always sounded like she just skipped those steps. Likewise, when she tries to pull of her more bluesy, southern-styled approach it usually feels rather forced and phony. Still she does land a few stripped-down songs with convincing sincerity, and with a few songs concentrating on some of her less-absorbed, but more absorbing rock work, You Are Free should be considered, if not a step forward for the overrated songwriter, certainly not a step back. .


You can see a complete list of all Cat Power discography, or go back to the Cat Power tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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