It has been six years since the bluesy booze machine Cat Power released any original material. Chan Marshall broke the spell of silence last week with the song “Ruin” and the promise of an 11-song LP entitled Sun which will be out in September. “Ruin” kicks off with a Latin-influenced piano line and fuller, tighter instrumentation than we’ve come to expect from Cat Power. In fact, until Marshall’s unmistakable smoky voice comes in, you’d be hard pressed to identify it as a Cat Power song. But it absolutely is — in spite of the flashy piano riff, “Ruin” maintains something of the clean, minimal approach which characterizes Marshall’s work. As always the vocals are raw, hurt, and easy going down.
Over the past ten years, the public has seen Marshall’s ability as a performer and songwriter grow and shift (probably owing to a bit of sobering up on her part.) While “Ruin” lacks some of the rawness of earlier Cat Power records, it makes up for it in craftsmanship and intent. If this first track is any indication, I think we can look forward to a more mature and fully realized Cat Power in Sun.