Critics Split on Jukebox

Indie crooner Cat Power's second album of covers is dividing critics. Many agree that Jukebox is a state-of-the-career effort, but they part ways on where the musician (real name: Chan Marshall) stands. After transforming from blues folkie to soul singer and overcoming depression, the Marshall who “savored” her songs is gone, says Pitchfork’s Stephen Deusner.

Cat Power is a more “confident and charismatic vocalist” but not “as smooth, as supple, or as inventive” as she once was. The Boston Globe’s Sarah Rodman begs to differ, saying the album has “immense curb appeal and inviting interior warmth.” The once-tragic Marshall keeps brightening up, and Jukebox is simply “another step toward strengthening her own foundations.” (More Cat Power stories.)