Cons: Some very monotonous and for that matter even bad songs...
The Bottom Line: While I enjoy some tracks (American Flag and Colors and the Kids) a good deal, Cat Power's album Moon Pix is overall very forgettable.
Singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen. Strangely enough, truly outstanding solo artists are the rarest musical breed of all. There are a few that stand out today including Rufus Wainwright, Grant-Lee Phillips, and despite all of her faults Tori Amos. One name that isn't so recognizable but is beginning make waves is Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall).
A southern girl born and raised, Marshall earned a record deal with Matador in 1996 after the modest success of her first two indie albums (Dear Sir and Myra Lee). Since her signing, Marshall has recorded and released an additional four albums--most of which were awarded a good deal of critical support (excluding an underwhelming cover album released in 2000). Receiving the most acclaim thus far is 1998's Moon Pix. I still don't think it is a great album, but it is a good one which far surpasses 2003's You Are Free in quality.
If there is one thing I need to make clear it is that I don't entirely get Cat Power's appeal. Her style is enchanting in its looseness. It isn't over-produced or painstakingly arranged. Rather, what happens on Moon Pix comes across as natural and free. This is a refreshing quality in an era when even singer-songwriters have resorted to tweaking their songs beyond recognition thus eliminating all semblance of emotion. There is no question that Marshall feels her songs, but what I do question is whether she has a cohesive vision. In addition, I have some issue with her nasally, atonal voice. Some of this is good, but for every song to be so far off key, the same tempo, and equally languid makes for a monotonous listen regardless of the quality (usually high) of the music.
Moon Pix may be Marshall's best effort to date, but still I have hope that she will put together something in the future that will more completely impress me. The album is almost child-like in its innocence, but at the same time she reminds me of mid-1990's Alanis Morissette sans the rage. I am definitely torn in regards to Moon Pix but find myself leaning toward a recommendation because of Marshall's refreshingly child-like sincerity. It is this quality that makes her break-out album something maybe even slightly better than average.
Even, light, almost whimsical, but predictable Moon Pix provides a number of decent songs. The first, strangest, and in the end most appealing is American Flag. Set along side the looped back beats of something similar to Going Back to Cali (LL Cool J), the song unexpectedly weaves in laid back folk elements. It's an odd combination to say the least, but it is here that Marshall seems the most confident and aware. Her uneasy voice works here better than anywhere else on Moon Pix. Her lyrics seem unimportant--the song is the centerpiece here (especially as illustrated by her "shoop, shoop a doop" chorus.
While American Flag is easily my favorite song on the disc, I must admit there are other moments that I believe Marshall has a fair amount of unharnessed potential. The album may be rather samey and forgettable when taken on the whole, but in bits and pieces Say, Metal Heart, You May Know Him, and the delicately crafted Colors and the Kids. Say is pushy, evocative, and features my most favorite weather phenomenon--thunder. The rolls of thunder are nicely augmented by Marshall's unusually controlled vocals. Metal Heart is mostly a forgettable song, but the forays into Amazing Grace make it somewhat interesting. You May Know Him sounds familiar--it takes the familiar The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) melody and pairs it with a style reminiscent of Beth Orton--optimistic but dry and acoustic and poignant. It could honestly be my second favorite song on Moon Pix.
The last noteworthy song is Colors and the Kids. Featuring just a piano and Marshall's voice at first, it is easily the saddest song. I'm moved in particular by her voice as the song winds to an end. Much like Say, her voice is modest and controlled but in this case evokes a great sense of pain and longing. Not to shirk the other six songs on Moon Pix, but the rest blend together. In fact, I often forget to even listen to the album. I want to like it, and outside of a few incredibly unlistenable parts of He Turns Down and Moonshiner it is a palatable enough album. Unfortunately, it as a whole doesn't strike me as great.
Rating: 3/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. American Flag
02. He Turns Down
03. No Sense
04. Say
05. Metal Heart
06. Back of Your Head
07. Moonshiner
08. You May Know Him
09. Colors and the Kids
10. Cross Bones Style
11. Peking Saint
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