Cat Power

Twelve months after her second full album of covers, it seems that Chan Marshall, aka Cat Powerhas found her side-project niche. Her latest covers release, Dark End of the Street EP, is a quick spurt of Holiday blues-appropriate ballads, classics that seem out of her scope of style, and Motown cuts. It's a bit of a mess when you look at the tracklisting, but her desperate, melancholy moans fuse the hidden traits each song has in common.

The addition of her Dirty Delta Blues backing band on her latest tours remains an influence, with two Aretha Franklin numbers and Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long" gracing the EP. "I've Been Loving You..." caters to the lovelorn songwriting of her own, and shows Chan feeling the most confident with sumptuous delivery that undulates between high notes and low, mimicking that pain-in-the-ass called "love."

The curveball—and highlight—comes from her take on The Pogues' "Ye Auld Triangle." Though Shane MacGowan's trembling, talk-sing poetry is markedly different in style from Aretha's famous belts, Chan stays true to the EP's tone and sucks out MacGowan's spite, replacing it with a resignation and sadness that perfectly fits her rich alto delivery. Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" seems the unlikely choice from an indie starlet, but shows off her sultry, cheeky side, with playful strings and bold, echoing vocals.

Coming a long way from the girl who would break down in tears mid-song at her own shows, Chan has created the perfect hideaway for a self-conscious artist: covers. There is an internal muse-artist relationship between her two identities, Chan Marshall and Cat Power. The Dar End of the Street is definitely mood music, which—if you're not the in the mood for brooding in dark alleys—means the songs seems to bleed into each other and drag on a bit. This six-song EP might not be the best introduction for Cat Power newbies, but dedicated fans, who know what she can create on her own, will no doubt give a knowing smile of appreciation in her execution and tatse.

—Danielle Allaire
12.29.08