Cat Power's acclaimed concerts astonish audiences

NEW YORK -- Somewhere between the piano and stage left, Chan Marshall turns to the audience and raises her fists, flexing her slender arms like a prizefighter.\nThe triumphant posture, seen in concerts throughout the summer, symbolizes the new, confident and sober Marshall. The sold-out shows by the singer-songwriter -- who performs under the name Cat Power -- have been a revelation.\nBacked by the 12-piece Memphis Rhythm Band, Marshall -- once famous for stage fright and breaking down in the middle of songs -- now struts back and forth, coos to the audience and sometimes even changes her wardrobe mid-set.\nCritics hail the transformation. David Byrne, the former Talking Heads singer, wrote on his Web site that a June concert in New York was "one of the best shows I've ever seen."\n"I can't even describe it. I've never felt this way before," Marshall, 34, said during a recent interview. "I mean, the way I feel now onstage singing is the way I felt when I was 6 years old singing for my grandmama."\nCharlyn Marie Marshall (Chan is pronounced "Shawn") was raised in Georgia and shuffled among relatives for most of her childhood. After dropping out of high school and moving to New York, she collaborated with Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and guitarist Tim Foljahn.\nAfter her first two albums in the mid-'90s, Marshall signed with the indie label Matador Records. More discs followed, including 1998's "Moon Pix," 2000's "The Covers Record" and 2003's acclaimed "You Are Free."\nAll the while, Marshall's morose stage presence, bangs hiding her eyes, seemed to enhance fans' appreciation of her darkly personal songs. At the concerts that ended prematurely with her crying onstage, many would try to comfort her.\nOften, alcohol or pills -- or both -- had something to do with it. Filmmaker Vincent Gallo, who knew Marshall from years ago, happened by during the interview at a downtown Manhattan hotel and related the story of when he met Marshall.\nBefore she was a full-time musician, Marshall lived briefly in New York and worked at a copy shop in Greenwich Village. When Gallo, who lived nearby, came in one day, he found her appearance startling. \n"She had men's shoes on, a non-matching set, and both of them on the wrong foot -- but she wasn't kidding. You understand? It was no joke. And I thought, `Oh, that girl is the greatest.'"\nHis infatuation soon dissipated when the two went for a walk, and Marshall skipped into bars for shots of tequila. She was an alcoholic.\nIt's perhaps not atypical of how charming Marshall can be and how she can disappoint. Alluding to her inconsistency as a professional musician, The New York Times wrote earlier this year that she possesses "a beautiful voice that is at times ineptly handled"