Just because Cat Power is wallowing in sorrow doesn’t mean this album is a total drag. In fact, it’s deeply moving — her best work yet.  Full text...

The Greatest, however, is the most fruitful and complete work to come from the underground's recent fixation, an album of surprising compromise and lasting faith.   Full text...

The Greatest is a bold statement for someone whose alcohol-fuelled stage antics have become lore, passed down from fan to fan, all of which paint a picture of the young woman as a very fragile personality, to say the least.  Full text...

As you hold onto the last note of the swinging final track "Love & Communication," Chan Marshall provides an orchestral gallop for Cat Power that will steer The Greatest onto the Best of 2006 lists.   Full text...

The end result is one of Marshall's most satisfying and consistent Cat Power releases.  Full text...

'The Greatest' is the exact opposite, wallowing in full arrangements, precision basslines, subtle guitars, simple drumkit, tinkling piano, Hammond, brasswind - the lot; the album's sound has oubtless been shaped by its venerable players.   Full text...

The Greatest may open a new door for her vocal gift and distinctive narrative voice.  Full text...

You'll need to listen closely to understand and appreciate, but Marshall is worth it.  Full text...

Simply put: Marshall has made her most consistent and commercial disc -- and without compromising the essential elements of her sound.  Full text...

She is a living, beating, blood-pumping heart. Isn't that what soul music is really about?  Full text...

No, it's not The Greatest (or even The Goodest) but aside from a few serious misfires early on, The Greatest is a worthwhile listen and I predict that you will soon hear it playing at a Starbucks near you.  Full text...

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.  Full text...

Still, dreamy, sensual songs such as "Empty Shell" and the title track reveal why Marshall is the undisputed champion of muted indie emotion.  Full text...

The Greatest may not be as diverse the You Are Free album, and has no guests of note other than the by-now elderly soul musicians who helped create so many classic records. What it does provide, however, is a warm, comforting blanket of sound, and a suitable introduction to Cat Power's world.  Full text...

She sings like an emotionally illiterate young offender, all unintelligible shuffling, ashamed to admit that she just wants to be loved.  Full text...

And, of course, it's a pretty good listen.   Full text...

The Greatest is her prettiest album yet. Recorded at Ardent Studios, the legendary Memphis soul factory, with former members of Booker T. and the MG's and Al Green's band, The Greatest works up subtly atmospheric, sweet-and-sour country folk, propelled by a voice that sounds weathered by bad love and two packs a day -- but determined to make autumnal beauty out of her bad memories.  Full text...

There's nothing messy or lo-fi about the album: its all wonderfully restrained and rigidly crafted, probably thanks to the input of the old-school musicians that have been brought onboard. In many ways, it's the sound of Cat Power growing up, taking onboard older musical influences and closing the door on a newer generation of Bright Eyes- obsessed kids hungry for their next misery fix.   Full text...

There are some talented musicians here, but their talent doesn't raise the level. If anything, with Cat's (Chan's) vocals so far down in the mix, it's more like she's drowning and overpowered by the musicality around her.  Full text...

" The Greatest didn't have to be the greatest, but it could have been a contender.  Full text...

In the meantime we have a collection of songs, that when the light hits just so, are as sparkly opaque as the strongest recordings of this major artist.  Full text...

'The Greatest' Marshall seems to have pa(i)nted herself into a creative corner from where there is no immediate rescue.  Full text...

It's not the most obvious fit with her low-key alt.country stylings, but somehow it manages to gel quite well   Full text...