JUKEBOX - CAT POWER
Like 2000’s “The Covers Record,” Chan Marshall’s second go at a (mostly) covers album imparts her unique, husky-voiced stamp on songs from such greats as Hank Williams, James Brown, Joni Mitchell and … Lil Wayne and the Hot Boyz. But rather than the stripped-down, bare-bones approach employed previously, “Jukebox” follows in the vein of 2006’s “The Greatest” and goes heavy on Memphis soul and blues elements. From the sultry, minimal retooling of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and smoke-filled blues-club vibe of Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain” to a piano and feedback-laced take on her own “Metal Heart,” Marshall’s reinterpretations reveal a welcome intimacy. Meanwhile, a new song, the Dylan-inspired “Song to Bobby,” is an assured reminder of the strength of Marshall’s original material, and hopefully a good indication of where she’ll go from here.
