Cat Power includes: Chan Marshall (vocals, guitar). If catharsis is the name of the game, then Cat Power (AKA Chan Marshall) handily achieves this goal with YOU ARE FREE, her first studio album of original material since 1998's MOON PIX. She's a master at making more out of less, and to say Marshall's arrangements are sparse is an understatement. That said, songs like "Maybe Not" and "I Don't Blame You" benefit immensely from the solo piano accompaniment that gently prods along this southern singer-songwriter's creaky vocals. Even when she adds instrumentation, a measured approach keeps everything tight, whether Marshall is howling in front of Dave Grohl (who plays bass and drums), on the hypnotic, guitar-driven "Speak For Me," or delivering an ethereal cover of Michael Hurley's "Werewolf" that features David Campbell's evanescent string arrangements. In singing about various facets of freedom, Chan Marshall addresses her lover's unhealthy lifestyle (the mournful "Babydoll") and inability to open up (an echo-drenched "Half of You"). Along with Grohl, Eddie Vedder puts in a pair of appearances. The Pearl Jam frontman loses himself within the murmured duet "Evolution" and "Good Woman," the fullest-sounding song on the album, like a modern-day Lomax recording with its scratchy fiddle, buzzing guitar, and spooky harmonies.
Disc 1: I Don't Blame You Free There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth The Salt Of My Tears Speak For Me Werewolf Fool He War Shaking Paper Babydoll Maybe Not Names Half Of You Keep On Runnin' Evolution