You Are Free
Chan "Cat Power" Marshall's performances have become legendary marathons marked by Marshall's shyness and her ability to create moments of fragmented beauty. Five years on from her last collection of original songs, 1998'sMoon Pix, Marshall has reined in the silvery brilliance of her shows. The 14 pieces onYou Are Freemaintain a spontaneity, but, compared with their digressive live incarnations, they've been given focus--a development that owes something to a notable supporting cast that includesDave Grohlon drums andEddie Vedderon vocals. Marshall's impressionistic vision is expressed with a new clarity while retaining its affecting understatement and sense of dislocation. Her past kinship withBonnie Prince BillyandSmoggives way toPJ HarveyandNina Simonecomparisons.You Are Freeconfirms that Marshall is one of the most original and compelling singer-songwriters around.--John Mulvey