Cat Power
Wanderer 

Domino

Where as Sun, Chan Marshall’s last album was pop, this is rock--a very soulful, bluesy type of rock--rare in indie rock. She’s never made a bad album, just gotten better with each of them, and that's true of Wanderer. 

While she’s never been cheery, this is warmer, the way someone who's desperate to connect, and has, is basking in that glow, but sensible about it. It makes the album very enjoyable and likable, even as the down side is loneliness. 

Marshall is now on Domino, not Matador The New York Times, in an interview with Marshall,  reported she got dumped for refusing to sound like Adele. That’s right--Matador, an indie label with a lot of cred, prestige, and history, wanted her to sell out. And it wasn’t just her. Fucked Up is now on Merge and the New Pornographers are on their own label. None of them sold out, and good for them. They all went on to make great records. With Marshall, I like this album even better than Sun, where Marshall went pop successfully, but it wasn’t enough for Matador. But good enough for me, and if you listen to Wanderer, it’ll be more than good enough for you. 

Andrea Weiss