In the late 1990s I worked in a record store, so I got pretty well acquainted with the new releases and the modern sounds that the young people were digging. During the first part of the '00s, though, I found myself firmly ensconced in the past, and owning a vintage vinyl shop for a couple years only walled me off further from the present. Since then, I've had a pretty good time catching up. As much as I've enjoyed reconnecting with contemporary music during this decade, though, I still find myself drawn toward artists and albums that wear their connections to the past on their sleeves, and my #8 pick, Cat Power's The Greatest does just that. Incorporating veterans from Al Green's old band (Teenie Hodges!) might have struck some as a blatant cred grab, and if the songs hadn't measured up it might have been. They do, though, and the result is a beautiful mix of classic soul and indie pop. The little touches of torchiness ("Where Is My Love") and honky-tonkery ("After It All") keep the cohesiveness from slipping into bland sameness.
The Greatest was Chan Marshall's first album of all-original material, and at the time it seemed very much like an artist coming into her own. Curiously, I was very much looking forward to her all-covers follow-up, Jukebox, and while I enjoy that one overall, it's this album that I'll carry with me into future decades.
Lived In Bars
I'm kinda surprised you like this, because hearing this album, I realized for the first time that Chan can't write a song to save her life: Even, or especially, with all the firepower assembled behind her, not a single song is memorable to me.
A few songs stand out quite a bit to me ("Lived in Bars," "Could We," "The Greatest"). I think it was the overall tone of the album that struck me as so effective. Of course, I my mind may have just been clouded by her beauty -- hubba hubba!