With a sparkling pink cover decorated with a golden necklace, and the ambitious title of The Greatest screaming out at you when you pick it up, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Cat Power had turned their hand to hip-hop. Thankfully, given songwriter Chan Marshall’s previous history of writing beautiful, minimalist piano-guitar-vocal compositions, she’s left the rapping aside for the moment. It’s not hip-hop that she’s adopted, but the sound of 70’s Memphis soul and rhythm and blues. She’s surrounded herself with musicians from that era – among others, Al Green’s guitarist Malbon ‘Teenie’ Hodges, and Steve Potts who has drummed with Booker T – to create an intriguing mix of her usual wistful song-writing and old-fashioned, dusty American charm.

The most striking change from 2003’s You Are Free is the depth of sound present. There are horns, funky bass-lines, string arrangements and smooth backing vocals. As if this weren’t a big enough change, some of the songs actually sound quite happy. Lived In Bars plods along on a cheerful chord change backed with blaring horns, and in After It All you can even hear the faint sound of whistling. Could We is short, sweet and upbeat, and is marked by a lyrical clarity that Marshall would have shied away from a few years ago.

So have Cat Power got happy? In a word, no. She's still more tortured-soul than soul-diva. Where Is My Love and the title track in particular recall the Cat Power sound of old, with tinkering pianos and haunted vocals. Even the more funky numbers are tinged with sadness, mostly thanks to the lyrics and the melancholy vocal performance. The main difference is that you get the sense she’s in control of her heartbreak this time around. There’s nothing messy or lo-fi about the album: its all wonderfully restrained and rigidly crafted, probably thanks to the input of the old-school musicians that have been brought onboard. In many ways, it’s the sound of Cat Power growing up, taking onboard older musical influences and closing the door on a newer generation of Bright Eyes- obsessed kids hungry for their next misery fix.

The Greatest is a brave, original album that will alienate some of Cat Power’s fanbase but potentially attract a whole new crowd. The most important thing is that, while the success of You Are Free would have made it so easy for Marshall to dig herself a nice little indie pigeonhole and stay in it, she’s out of the trench and exploring new ground. Who knows, maybe next time she really will be rapping. Watch your back, 50 cent...

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