Cat Power

[corianderstem]

I saw Cat Power in concert last night, and was really pleasantly surprised.

I'd maybe heard 5 or so songs by her in the past, and hadn't cared for any of them. I'd also read she'd had a breakdown/snit/something on stage at one point, so I'd written her off as an "oh i'm so fragile" indie chicks with a guitar.

My boyfriend is old friends with a woman who is singing backup for Cat Power on this small tour supporting her new album, so we got to go to the show.

Color me impressed! She was up there with an 11-piece, Memphis-soul-bluesy band, and was just really great. The songs were good (even if they got a little too similar after a while), her voice was cool, her mannerisms were ... odd and a little annoying, but whatever.

The girl standing next to me commented that not only did the songs sound exactly like they do on the album, but she was playing them in order, which I found funny ... but also a good thing, because my initial thought was "oh, I like these songs here, but I bet she's just a chick with a guitar on the album or something." Now I have to buy this album!

Are there any Cat Power fans here? I'm very curious to know what her other albums have been like. Now that my preconceived notions have been blasted out of the water, I want to know what else I might have been missing!

 

[barlowdog]

Never had a desire to see her play live, but You are Free is a very good album.

 

[Anu]

I bought *the Greatest* after seeing & being blown away by the whole ensemble at Bonnaroo.

She brought me to tears with "Where is My Love."

While crying, I turned around to see a beautiful young woman, also crying. We then shared a hug.

Truly captivating and inspiring.

 

[u2popmofo]

I have The Greatest and You Are Free, both good albums. I think Greatest is probably more consistant, but You Are Free has more memorable tracks. Regardless, they're both good albums.

I've yet to hear anything from Moon Pix, which is supposedly her "best".

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I'm going to see her play tomorrow night.

 

[If you shout...]

"Colors and the Kids" is easily one of the most heart-breaking songs I've ever heard in my life...and I pretty much listen to heart-breaking music 99% of the time.

I think she's all right, on the whole. I think that every album has been terribly inconsistent, and her live shows certainly CAN be great, but they're far more often insane, disturbing, and frustrating. In bad ways, mind you. Not like The Velvets or Mr. Zappa or something. Just terrible in all the wrong ways.

So it's a hit-and-miss sort of thing, in my eyes. When she's on, she's so good that it literally hurts me. When she's off, she's so bad that she literally hurts me even more. And I'm not nearly as into it.

"Colors and the Kids." That's where it's at. It's everything Cat Power is and can be in a few minutes. Nearly perfect.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I'm going to see her play tomorrow night.

I ended up skipping the show. It was too humid/sticky out last night, it was a free show so I didn't lose any money on tickets, and I wasn't in the mood to see if she was going to be in a good mood or not.