Album Review: Cat Power - Sun

Well, it's taken some six years, but a new record of original material from Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power, has finally seen the light of day. And considering what she's put her fans through, not to mention what she herself has endured, it seems the title of this new release is particularly fitting. The erratic, frequently awful live performances that she had come to be known for were a dark period indeed, but she has survived – and, thankfully, so have her musical talents – ­and Marshall's reemergence is cause for celebration.

For those who've been with Marshall for over a decade, the artist we see now bears little resemblance to the nervy performer that took to the stage with reticence in the mid-'90s. That wonderful voice, though, which is full of soul and raspy beauty, is as stunning as ever. As the name might suggest, Sun is musically speaking a pretty perky affair, but she explores bleak matters lyrically. In first track Cherokee, for instance, she speaks repeatedly of great pain and 'dying before her time'. This is all set against an energetic rhythm and more experimental production than we've seen before, though, which gives the track a brighter quality. Run is similar but better still, a simple piano line pushed forward by a thumping beat and a vocal effort which incorporates all those great tones she peddles so effortlessly. Acoustic and electric guitars pulse menacingly in Human Being, but the ten-minute Nothin But Time outstays its welcome. It's a slip on an otherwise excellent album, though, and Sun is proof that Marshall still has plenty in the tank.