CD Review: The Covers Record

1) Satisfaction
2) Kingsport Town
3) Troubled Waters
4) Naked If I Want To
5) Sweedeedee
6) In This Hole
7) I Found A Reason
8) Wild Is The Wind
9) Red Apples
10) Paths Of Victory
11) Salty Dog
12) Sea Of Love
The best artists have two things: a diverse body of work, and a unique style that sets that body apart from all the other music out there. When James Taylor sings, Elton John plays piano, or Keith Moon plays drums, you can tell it's them. Cat Power has such a style, the one in which this diverse array of covers is rendered.
But to call The Covers Record a great album is a stretch. Cat's style is a double-edged sword. It is a truly original, unique sound, but one marked by sparse, amateurish, and sometimes just clumsy work on piano or guitar.
"Satisfaction" is barely recognizable. The only element of the song Cat retains is its lyrics. In doing so, she brings out the dark side of that song.
Gone are the rich melodies of "Kingsport Town" and "Sweedeedee", replaced by vocals just as minimalist as the instrumental work. But her style is perfect for "Salty Dog" and "Sea of Love." Gone is the cheese, in focus are the songs' pleas for love.
Cat has a great sound, but it is better suited for her own compositions. You can't just play any song in her style and expect it to sound good. She picked great songs to cover, but her renditions are either hits or misses.
***1/2 out of five