Jukebox

The new Cat Power album, Jukebox, is out. It’s an album of cover songs, including one of her own songs. There is a deluxe version with a second CD with 5 songs. This is the album that she was in Dallas to record part of last August, and now I recognize some of the songs that I heard in concert. Recognizing a Cat Power cover is not always an automatic proposition. She definitely puts her own stamp on others’ songs. Her version of New York is amazing. My only complaint is that at 2 minutes it’s way too short.

Let’s see, there are also covers of Hank Williams, James Brown, Joni Mitchell, Billie Holliday, The Highwaymen, Janis Joplin, Patsy Cline, Nick Cave, and Bob Dylan. After having a month to listen to this album I’m really, really digging it. That voice just slays me, and the way that she makes these songs her own is amazing. The guitar sound is great too – it’s textbook Telecaster. Some of my favorite songs on here are New York, Metal Heart, Silver Stallion, I Believe In You, and Breathless. You can hear samples on the Amazon page, and her MySpace page has one complete song from this album – Song For Bobby (about Dylan). I just found out a couple of days ago that CP is coming to Dallas in April. I am so there. Concert bills are steadily adding up, but that’s a post for another day.

Speaking of Bob Dylan and concerts, I’m actually going to see him in concert Saturday night. I know I wasn’t all that impressed with the first time I saw him, but this is Bob Dylan! That guy who wrote all those amazing songs has got to be in there somewhere. He’s playing three nights in Dallas at the House of Blues. I wanted to see him in a smaller venue than last time. Interesting review of night one here.



Here's a video of Cat Power's performance of New York on Jools Holland's show: