Turn up the power

A lot has changed since Chan Marshall, a.k.a., Cat Power, released her debut, the appropriately titled covers album The Covers Record, in 2000. Between The Covers Record and her latest effort Jukebox, she released two stunning studio albums and gained widespread acclaim. She also spiraled in and out of alcoholism, became the new Face of Chanel, toured like hell and starred alongside Jude Law in "My Bluebrry Nights." \nBut one thing has stayed the same over the years: her soul. Her albums may have become more polished, but her essence is still there. Her everlastingly ethereal voice makes this clear. This compassion in singing was expected from female jazz and blues singers of the past, but nowadays it's hardly expected. It should come as no surprise, then, that on Jukebox Marshall chose to cover the likes of Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday and Jessie Mae Hemphill.\nYet, when Marshall covers a song, she doesn't try to duplicate it. Instead, she pays tribute to her influences by incorporating her own flair into their songs. This subsequently makes you forget these tunes were even covers to begin with. She makes Frank Sinatra's glitzy and warm anthem "New York, New York" bluesy and sultry as she howls, "If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere." \nA Georgia native, Marshall's work is often influenced by country blues, as can be seen in her take on Hank Williams in "Ramblin' (Wo)man."\nThree of Jukebox's tracks are Marshall's own, including "Song to Bobby," which appropriately follows her rendition of Dylan's "I Believe in You." Her tribute song sounds more Dylanesque than the actual cover, which further proves she is capable of imitating but chooses not to do so. Even her amazingly personalized "Sea of Love," which was remastered on the "Juno" soundtrack, is a cover of a 1959 R&B track by the Twilights.\nGranted, Jukebox isn't the most commercially friendly album out there. But neither was her breakout hit, 2006's The Greatest. As an indie artist, she's always had the freedom to make the music the way she's wanted. She's finally just getting the credit she deserves. \nHell, she could probably even make a Pussycat Dolls song sound classy.