What comes is better then what came before

Ok, not to dwell on the past, but that old Cat Power covers record is totally > this new Cat Power covers record. The new one is fine too, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that I hold a special connection to the first one. There is a moment on that record, dear reader, at which I constantly either choke up, drop what I’m doing to listen in amazement, or sing at the top of my lungs, depending on my mood, and that moment is Ms. Marshall’s rendition of Found a Reason.

Hauntingly beautiful, without trying very hard, and that’s what makes it such a special moment. They didn’t spring for the string section, or the backing choir, or the duet, or even the power ballad. They went for Chan’s voice at it’s absolute best and Chan’s piano playing at it’s absolute starkest, and the outcome is a complete success across the board.

[mp3] Cat Power – Found a Reason
[mp3] Cat Power – Could We

Buy Cat Power’s music.

The Hottest State

Soundtracks are an often overlooked source of joy for me. I love a good soundtrack, and I love a score even better. The Hottest State is a little bit of both and somehow was overlooked completely, though it features a tracklist with names such as M. Ward, Feist, Cat Power, Norah Jones, Bright Eyes, and the Black Keys. The Hottest State, if you don’t know, is a film by Ethan Hawks, and it’s soundtrack was curated by Mr. Hawke as well. You might also be in the dark about the source of said songs, well good reader, let me inform you. Each and every song on the album was written by a fellow named Jesse Harris. You could know Jesse as the guy who wrote that one song for Norah Jones, or you could know him by his solo career, which is also worth your attention.

Full disclosure: I’ve yet to see the Ethan Hawke film which the soundtrack accompanies yet, but I can tell you that the soundtrack is, for lack of a good adjective, amazing. Admittedly, it’d be hard to screw something up with the aforementioned list of contributors, but Harris’ sparse and intimate songs make a very nice canvas for painting on.

[mp3] Feist – Somewhere Down the Road

Buy The Hottest State Soundtrack.