「騷」味十足

"Moon Pix" is the only Cat Power album that I own. For the most obvious reason, it's a rare collaboration between chanteuse Chan Marshall and two of my all-time favourite Post-rockers Mick Turner and Jim White of the Australian trio Dirty Three. With the help of Mick's distinctive tuning that evokes desolation and emptiness, Chan's already insecure, heart-wrenching chanting sounds even more fragile and visceral.

Besides my personal inclination towards the backing musicians, the eleven tracks featured in the album stand as excellent work on their own. In contrast to Dirty Three's own compositions, each song presented here has an unhurriedness that seems to freeze time indefinitely, allowing sentimental listeners to freely indulge in Chan's retelling of stories.

Ten years later after several shifts in artistic directions, Cat Power released her eighth full-length (also her second cover album), the aptly titled "Jukebox", yesterday. As someone who doesn't have enough years behind to have listened to the originals, much less enjoying them, I cannot comment too much on the song selections. However, thanking to an exceptionally talented group of backing staff, the re-arrangements here sound lively and refreshing, embellishing these ageless classics in completely new looks with each track stylishly laid out to accentuate Chan's surprisingly soulful, sultry voice. Regrettably, all these efforts are rather short with several shy of the three minutes mark, leaving little room for aesthetic re-interpretation and expansion. It's worth noting that Matador has released a limited version of the album in silver foil deluxe package with a bonus disc, but unless you have been a loyal follower of Ms. Marshall, this introspective yet uninteresting collection may be a little short of entertainment.