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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
The Greatest
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 35 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 68 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Matador
Release Date: 24 January 2006
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Singer-Songwriter
Summary
Despite the misleading title, 'The Greatest' is not a best-of collection, but rather is Chan Marshall's first album of original songs in three years. It was recorded in Memphis and finds the singer backed by some of that city's legendary session musicians.
Also By This Artist: Dark End Of The Street [EP] Jukebox The Covers Record You Are Free
Also On The Web: Cat Power @ Matador Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Spin
After only a few spins, The Greatest sounds like another [masterpiece]. [Feb 2006, p.84]
Stylus Magazine
The Greatest isn’t perfect, but its stumbles are neither intrusive nor damning.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
The writing here is sharp and stunning, but the real difference between this and other Cat Power discs is that The Greatest has room to breathe.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
This will be on most of the indie-ish year end tops charts this year, guaranteed.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Similarly to Lambchop's Nixon, it weaves together new and old, soul and country, black and white, love and hate, to form an understated masterpiece. [Feb 2006, p.74]
Under The Radar
The rare album that works even better in execution than it does in theory, one that rises far above the genre exercise it could have been. [#12, p.90]
Mojo
By putting some warm flesh on her musical bones, Chan Marshall is punching her considerable songwriting weight. [Jan 2006, p.116]
Los Angeles Times
Never so flatly confessional as to be artless, her plaintive sentiments are still nakedly honest, strangely restrained yet unfettered. Still, Marshall's singing occasionally feels distant, negating the intimacy. [22 Jan 2006]
Entertainment Weekly
Marshall wanders into lulling Orton/Portishead turf so often that it's easy to imagine some of these songs oozing out of the PA system at your local Banana Republic. [27 Jan 2006, p.80]
ShakingThrough.net
Despite losing creative momentum down the stretch, it’s still a remarkably affecting and mature record, proof that Chan Marshall kicks off the second act of her career in top form.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
For what it is, The Greatest is exceedingly well done, and people who have never heard of Cat Power before could very well love this album immediately. However, it might take a little more work for those who have loved her music from the beginning.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
Many of these new forms shift her into the role of a band leader - a role that, maybe, could solidify her as the "voice of a generation" that overzealous press releases have claimed her to be.
Read Full Review >Lost At Sea
Her ability to draw out more and more truth with each album is indisputable, and on The Greatest, she reaches a golden landmark of self-assurance.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
You'll need to listen closely to understand and appreciate, but Marshall is worth it.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
Aside from one or two bore-me-ups, this is an album of understated perfection.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
Her most natural fit. [Feb 2006, p.102]
New Musical Express (NME)
Not quite the greatest per se, but bloody close. [21 Jan 2006, p.33]
Pitchfork
Like all Cat Power records, The Greatest is a mostly sad, heartbroken, hopeless, rainy-day affair; it just isn't damaged. For that reason, it's also going to gain her a lot of new fans.
Read Full Review >E! Online
Though it's an interesting idea and is at times stirring, the results don't always work as well as one would hope.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
Simultaneously the most-fully-realised of Chan Marshall's seven albums and yet one of missed opportunities.
Read Full Review >Billboard
A song or two with a bit more oomph would have been nice. [28 Jan 2006]
Blender
It partly works. [Mar 2006, p.110]
Paste Magazine
Unfortunately, Marshall's own authenticity is too frequently obscured by the album's "authentic" arrangements. [Feb/Mar 2006, p.92]
No Ripcord
Glossily produced, the new album is much less thorny than Marshall’s earlier works, showcasing the artist’s songwriting and soul singing talents.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
If [some]songs catch a magical intangible by pairing Marshall's naked vocal with a ghost of Memphis passion, others fail to turn the same trick.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
Where the record works best are its bookends -- the places where it most sounds like Cat Power.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
What's remarkable about The Greatest is how much Marshall accomplishes without ever straining.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
She's gone from being an indie rocker's wet dream to sounding like the most NPR-friendly singer-songwriter your parents haven't discovered yet. [Mar 2006, p.124]
Magnet
After making three great albums in a row, for Marshall to turn in a merely decent one seems like a letdown. [#71, p.88]
PopMatters
It doesn't take a genius to see that this is a wicked concept on paper: Marshall's got the voice and the vibe to make it work, but there's a nagging sense that it wasn't properly planned out.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
A number of songs suggest brilliance before stumbling rather into the bland.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Though the lyrics are light ("Could We") and often banal ("The Moon"), the warm, Mazzy Star minimalism and neon-roots groove are fairly irresistible.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 68 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jeremy F gave it a6:
I give it a 6, 3 stars out of 5. I personally think it has lost something major... but so cryptically that I can't put my finger on what. YOU ARE FREE and MOON PIX are so much better, in my opinion. They have all the sadness and mood, but melody and feeling to boot. Although "The Greatest" and "Hate" are two of her best songs ever, this cd fails in comparison to her previous works. I think I even like DEAR SIR better, but, that might be pushing it.
j a gave it an8:
Another relese full of restrained, beautiful song writing, but these new songs don't quite grab you the way her last album did. Still great, but not her best.
Andy gave it a6:
Gets a little monotonous as it drags on. The first three tracks are fantastic though.
mr. hankey gave it a9:
Obviously this is not even close to the brilliance of " You Are Free " but it will have to do. Chan Marshall aka Cat Power goes for the memphis blues to influence her on this wonderful album that seems to have deep thought and love put into it. Chan Marshall has a true and disturbingly real voice that comes out at you and you listen in awe. But this as I said before is not her best album " The Covers Record and " You Are Free" stand out as her best even though they lack many traits for a perfect album they are still folk/ rock masterpieces. I do love " The Greatest " It is still a album that will not let you lose grip of. My last words are that if you are a fan of Chan then give it a try even though many fans do not enjoy it is still worth a listen who would you rather listen to Britney Spears or Chan Marshall?
Meya C. gave it a6:
it kind of bored me, but there were still a few good songs on it. chan marshall's voice is as beautiful as ever.
kirby w gave it a10:
some of you people aren't paying attention. i've got all of her cd's and this one alone has 8 great songs on it. and the '03 and covers cd are quality also. check out sally timms,get well soon chan.
Jordan gave it a9:
I like some of there select songs better on other albums, flow wise. Still an epic band, with sure to be classic songs.
