I don’t know what it is about Charlyn Marie Marshall, the artist we now know as Cat Power. Every music rag I pick up amply pours the accolades on like maple syrup and, of course, I feel the need to eat it up. As a result, I’ve purchased several of her records and find that, while they are indeed pleasant, there’s really nothing there that keeps me coming back for more. So when I started reading how her brand new record, “Sun,” was her best since, well, her last one, the critically acclaimed “The Greatest,” I knee-jerked an ordered myself up a copy from Amazon. So once again I find myself the proud owner of another Cat Power record that I probably won’t come back to once the hype wears off. Sure, there are a handful of good songs here, including the one I’ve chosen for today, “Peace And Love,” “Manhattan” and “3-6-9,” but I just don’t see myself reaching for this record in six months. Such is the problem when voracious music fans like me gobble up every printed word about new records and then feel the need to hear them. Sure, I’ve got Spotify, but I can’t use it at work, so my main listening time occurs in the car to and from work where CDs and MP3s still reign supreme. I’m going to make a pledge to keep on playing this record and wait for that Chan Marshall magic to smack me in the head…or better yet maybe I should smack myself in the head for buying this record in the first place…
