Cat Power – Live Toronto 11/22/2006
Introduction
With The Greatest, Cat Power received something she did not ask for, but certainly deserved: success. The Memphis soul struck a chord. The story of The Greatest.
Cat Power
For a long time, Cat Power (real name Charlyn Marie “Chan” Marshall) was considered a well-kept secret and a favorite among critics and ‘serious’ music lovers. Her albums Moon Pix (1998) and You Are Free were (and still are) regarded as indie classics and convincing proof of Cat Power’s gift for confessional songwriting, in which experimentation is never avoided. The result was often deeply moving and always produced beautiful music.
In addition to her music career, Chan Marshall also worked regularly as a model. Her concerts were always unpredictable, delivering as many fantastic nights as outright failures. Marshall struggled with mental health issues, including during the recordings for The Greatest.
Cat Power – The Greatest
The Greatest
On January 20, 2006, the seventh Cat Power album, The Greatest, was released. It was her first album without a single cover song. She was accompanied by the Memphis Rhythm Band, several members of which had previously played with major artists including Al Green, Booker T. & the MG’s, Aretha Franklin, and Neil Young.
The album was recorded in Memphis, an environment in which Cat Power feels at home, and it shows. Cat Power and the album sound relaxed, strangely optimistic, and above all warm. The songs were rehearsed no more than three times and recorded in a single take.
The Greatest became her biggest success to date and reached the upper regions of the American charts. The album won the prestigious 2006 Shortlist Music Prize, awarded to the best album with fewer than 500,000 copies sold. For comparison: the year before, Sufjan Stevens won with his impressive Illinois. Cat Power was the first female artist to win the prize.
Cat Power – The Greatest – Advertisement
Review
From the very first notes, the album grabs me by the throat and never lets go. Cat Power sounds disarming, moving, warm, and convincing. Her backing band, The Memphis Rhythm Band, is tight, subtle, and supportive. Everything serves the beautiful compositions.
The Memphis soul woven throughout the album is infectious and adds a sensuality that makes the album irresistibly attractive. Although the album sounds optimistic and even almost cheerful, its themes certainly are not, fitting squarely within the Cat Power tradition.
All that is left is an empty shell
Of my heart that is crushed
I don’t never wanna see
What my mind has seen
When you loved me
Every night, every night alone with you
Every night alone now© 2006, Empty Shell, Cat Power
Or the even more explicit message of Hate, which consists of a solo recording of Cat Power singing and accompanying herself on guitar.
Hey, come here
Let me whisper in your ear
I hate myself and I want to die
Do you believe she said that?
Can you believe she repeated that?
I said I hate me, myself and I
Said I hate myself and I want to die© 2006, Hate, Cat Power
The album is filled with references to loneliness, disappointment, abandonment, death, and mental health struggles, but also to survival and resilience, making The Greatest one of the most beautiful Cat Power albums. The only weaker track is Where Is My Love, which is not bad at all, just less strong than the rest. That likely says more about the album’s high overall level than about the song itself.
Cat Power – The Greatest – Singles
Tracks
All songs written by Chan Marshall.
- The Greatest
- Living Proof
- Lived In Bars
- Could We
- Empty Shell
- Willie
- Where Is My Love
- The Moon
- Islands
- After It All
- Hate
- Love & Communication
The “Limited Edition”included the bonus track Up And Gone, and the Japanese version included Dreams (a cover of Felice & Boudleaux Bryant’s All I Have to Do Is Dream) as an extra track.
Cat Power – Live Austin City Limits 09/17/2006
Musicians
- Chan Marshall – vocals, piano, guitar
- Mabon “Teenie”Hodges – guitar, except on Hate
- Leroy Hodges – bass on The Greatest, Live In Bars, The Moon, Love & Communication
- David Smith – bass on Living Proof, Could We, Empty Shell, Willie, Islands, After It All
- Steve Potts – drums
- Doug Easley – guitar, pedal steel
- Rich Steff – keyboards, clavitone, piano, organ
- Jim Spake – saxophone
- Scott Thompson – trumpet
- Roy Brewer – violin
- Johnathan Kirkscey – cello
- Beth Luscone – viola
Cat Power – Stop Smiling Magazine – 10/27/2006
After The Greatest
Shortly after the album’s release, Marshall collapsed and admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital in Miami. The first concerts of the promotional tour for The Greatest were canceled, but in April 2006 the tour eventually began, resulting in a run of well to very well received shows.
In January 2008, she released her second covers album, Jukebox, which included Song To Bobby, an original, self-written ode to Bob Dylan. In December, she released the EP Dark End Of The Street, consisting of outtakes from the Jukebox sessions.
It would take nearly four years before new Cat Power material appeared again: the beautiful album Sun. Read all about it in the article Cat Power – Sun.
Cat Power – Redux
More The Greatest
In 2011, five years after the initial release of The Greatest, Cat Power said the following about the album:
I wanted to make something for my mom and my grandmother. But it could have been better—it could have been so much better.
Fader magazine, 02/08/2011
She did not elaborate further, but the remark is striking, as The Greatest had already grown to almost mythical proportions by that time.
However, the story of The Greatest was not yet finished. On November 4, 2025, Cat Power announced that she would tour in 2026 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Greatest and to announce an EP, Redux, which will be released on January 23, 2026. Read the press announcement in the news item News: Cat Power – The Greatest Redux and The Greatest Tour.
In closing
What do you think of The Greatest and Cat Power? Let us know!
Video/Spotify
This story contains an accompanying video. Click on the following link to see it: Video: The story of Cat Power’s superb The Greatest. The A Pop Life playlist on Spotify has been updated as well.
