Cat Power & the Memphis Rhythm Band

Saturday, November 18, 40 Watt Club

originally published November 15, 2006

Here's to constant evolution! Cat Power's 2003 album You Are Free was a stellar disc that put guests like Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl to effective but thrifty use, and its florid production pointed towards new lands for lead lady Chan Marshall, moving her out of the increasingly claustrophobic lo-fi minimalist recordings of earlier albums like the '95 debut Dear Sir and 1998's breakthrough Moon Pix. Released early in 2006, The Greatest, the seventh Cat Power studio album, saw Marshall push forward in confident, country- and R&B-influenced ways while retaining her airy vocals, recruiting top-notch musicians under the banner of the Memphis Rhythm Band. She got Al Greens guitarist and songwriting partner Mabon "Teenie" Hodges to play guitar on all but one of The Greatest's tracks; Teenie's best known for cowriting "Love and Happiness" and "Take Me to the River" with Green, as well as working with acts like Isaac Hayes, Ann Peebles and Willie Mitchell. Teenie, along with bassist Leroy "Flick" Hodges and organist Charles Hodges, brothers all three, were part of the Hi Rhythm Section, the backing band on most Hi Records releases in the '70s. Flick also played on about half of the cuts on The Greatest, with Memphis bassist Dave Smith on the other half. Drummer Steve Potts, a replacement member of Booker T & the MG's, rounds out Marshall's new band, with other Memphis musicians guesting on keyboards, horns and strings. Marshall's notoriously perplexing and vexing stage presence still shadows her, and peeks through at some shows; at a recent afternoon solo show at Atlanta's EARL, she talked about how strange it was that "left-handed dudes have bigger left arms than right-handed dudes," and she tried to talk politics, mumbling about Lou Dobbs, open seats and Republicans, much to the confusion of the crowd. All reports from the full-band shows, however, mark the performances in the must-see category, emphasizing the matchless pairing between Marshall's songwriting and the confidence, skill and versatility of her Memphis Rhythm Band. Marshall has announced that this will be the last North American tour she does with the Memphis Rhythm Band, with only eight more dates following tonight's; to any procrastinators out there get on the ball, get to the club. Music starts at 9 p.m. Chris Hassiotis