Chan Marshall’s sweetly morose drawl never fails to lull me into a temporary infatuation –– one that fills the body with an airy high that is always succinctly knocked back out. Jukebox embodies this sensory sine wave, rising up in moments of Cat Power’s brilliant interpretation and then dipping into a mediocrity and dreariness that seeps from her catalogue.
Jukebox relays Marshall’s own musical foundation, including the canons of Hank Williams, James Brown, Joni Mitchell and her most dearly beloved Bobby D. Chan even tries out Sinatra –– although her rendition of “New York” doesn’t quite hit the mark. “Silver Stallion,” a Lee Clayton piece, is perhaps one of Cat Power’s best recordings to date –– a truly vindicating force composed of a distortion-free Marshall croon that glides on top of a simple slide and acoustic combination. With all the drudgery and complete under-utilization of a terrific backing band, Marshall manages to yet again woo us all back into admiration with her sleek and silky charm.