Three long years have passed since Cat Power unleashed the sparse, frail masterpiece that was You Are Here, and advance whispers have suggested that time has been well spent. Power recorded her forthcoming album in Memphis, employing various soul legends to play in her band including Al Green's guitarist Mabon Hodges and Steve Potts of Booker T And The MGs.
The result is no lame soul pastiche though - instead the band have beefed up Power's delicate sound, yet retained her air of vulnerability. A stately piano glides by, the saddest string section in the world plays subtly, and Power's breathy, wistful voice sings a lovely, other-wordly ballad. Weirdly reminiscent at times of Angelo Badalamenti's score for Twin Peaks, The Greatest sounds like a million hearts breaking at once - in the nicest possible way of course.
"Once, I wanted to be the greatest" sings Power at the start of the song - if the forthcoming album is as good as this, then it could well happen yet.
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