Cat Power

Days spent under duvet covers, still unable to speak or move; nights numbed by the white noise of network TV; blankets scented by memory, lips stained red by emptied Merlot bottles, and the heartbreaking realization that he or she is never coming back: this is the music of Cat Power. We've got more than enough to fill an evening here, too, from the steady-handed strumming of "Sea of Love" to the Memphis-soul strut of "The Greatest" and a breathy, bold take on that tried-and-true Frank Sinatra favorite, "New York." Now that you're under the spell of Chan Marshall's melancholic melodies, we've got more where that came from in our Next Steps.

Lyrics of lost love aside, Chan Marshall balances one of indie rock's most beautiful, brittle voices with the kind of raw power that brings men to their knees. While it's tailor made for spare and spooky bedroom balladry (the gorgeous harmonies and persistent piano keys of "I Don't Blame You," the plucked strings and hypnotic verses of "Peking Saint"), Marshall's also capable of carrying a swinging gospel groove ("Living Proof") and countless candlelit cover songs (a stunning, slo-mo rendition of the Animals' "House of the Rising Sun," the haunting, ride-off-into-the-sunset country of Lee Clayton's "Silver Stallion"). Of course, with a voice this pointed and potent, Marshall is constantly fielding guest appearance requests, some of which sneak into our Deep Cuts.

It sounds strange on paper: a notoriously reserved Chan Marshall stretching her pipes out on an underground hip-hop single. Yet here she is, killing it on the sultry R&B hook of "I've Been Thinking"; not just that, but also the neo-soul outro of El-P's two-part, sci-fi-infused epic "Poisenville Kids No Wins / Reprise (This Must Be Our Time)." Other welcome surprises in our Cat Power set include the brisk and breezy beats that turn "A Kind of Peace" into a total trip-hop tune, the smoke-enveloped Serge Gainsbourg cover "I Love You (Me Either)," the slight, buzzing synths of the poetry tribute "Haiku Ten," and the downright demonic chords of "Itchyhead" (featuring the death-march drums of Sonic Youth's own Steve Shelley).

The very essence of Cat Power's appeal is captured in a striking, stop-you-in-your-tracks cover of the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — slowed down to an absolute crawl, it shifts from a demanding display of assertive sexuality to the dire declarations of a lover who's more broken-down and beaten than a '79 Pinto. Her back catalog carries this rare air of authentic ache as well, reeking not so much of desperation as of absolute powerlessness. And somehow the song never remains the same; Marshall keeps us captivated every time she grazes her guitar, caresses her piano, or bursts out into song like the unparalleled blues singers who haunt dusty 78s.