Cat Power

Jukebox inevitably conveys the message that Cat Power can do no wrong—or that the good completely overshadows the occasional lack of dynamics. Her second album of covers is classic Cat Power—she takes the greatest songs from great artists and makes them distinctly her own. Her cover of Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain” is beautifully dark and reminiscent of Billie’s angst. On Moby Grape’s “Naked, If I Want To” (included on the deluxe silver-foil gatefold version’s bonus disc) Cat Power releases an undeniably epic energy that would sound phenomenal live. And in “I Feel” (also on the bonus disc), from the hip-hop group Hot Boys, she effectively takes a moving song from an entirely different genre and makes it work—even beautiful. She includes an original as well, called “Song to Bobby,” an ode to Bob Dylan. In short, this album belongs everywhere: in your car, while you’re cooking dinner, when you’re making love, or with friends, beer in hand.