In 1998, Cat Power (Chan Marshall) released Moon Pix, a personal favorite of mine. Now it's 2003 and You Are Free has just been released, the first proper Cat Power album since Moon Pix. (The Covers Record precedes this release, but I've written that off due to its novelty.) This new album starts off with what showed to be my favorite track of the album, "I Don't Blame You." With a piano part that could have come straight out of any Black Heart Procession album, she softly utters "You were swinging your guitar around/because they wanted to hear that sound/But you didn't want to play/and I don't blame you." Hearing these lyrics brings me back to the opening track of Moon Pix, "American Flag", because of its similar lyrical content. Both tracks about musicians, both stunning beginnings to albums. With this first track in mind, I was expecting an album that will come to par or perhaps exceed Moon Pix. Expectations in mind, the rest of the album flows effortlessly through Neko Case-esque alt-country gems, such as "Good Woman"and "Half of You", and through songs with a bit more rock, such as "Shaking Paper" and "Free". The only place where this album really falters is in its finale, a brooding duet with Eddie Vedder. This last track hit a sour note with me, as it felt somewhat out of place and left me unfulfilled. All in all, Chan Marshall's womanly rasp flows effortlessly over piano chords, guitar riffs, drum beats, and the like to provide us with a very good, proper follow up to Moon Pix, even if it was over five years after. If you're one for sampling albums before you decide to buy, I would suggest giving "I Don't Blame You", "Free" and "He War" a listen.
1. I Don't Blame You
2. Free
3. Good Woman
4. Speak For Me
5. Werewolf
6. Fool
7. He War
8. Shaking Paper
9. Baby Doll
10. Maybe Not
11. Names
12. Half of You
13. Keep on Runnin'
14. Evolution
More about: Cat Power
