The Greatest (Cat Power album)

For other uses, see Empty shell (securities fraud).

The Greatest
Studio album by Cat Power
Released	January 20, 2006
Recorded	May 2005, Ardent Studios, Memphis, Tennessee
Genre	Indie rock
Length	44:34
Label	Matador
Producer	Stuart Sikes
Cat Power chronology
You Are Free (2003) The Greatest (2006) Jukebox (2008)

The Greatest is the seventh studio album by indie rock artist Chan Marshall, a.k.a Cat Power. It debuted at #34 on the Billboard 200, her highest charting album at the time. The Memphis Rhythm Band includes Teenie Hodges, Steve Potts, Dave Smith, Rick Steff, Doug Easley, Jim Spake, Scott Thompson and Susan Marshall. String arrangements were contributed by Harlan T. Bobo and Jonathan Kirkscey.

The Greatest won the 2006 Shortlist Music Prize, making Marshall the first woman to win the honor. It was also named the number 6 best album of 2006 by Rolling Stone Magazine.^[1]

The title track was featured in the Bones episode The Titan on the Tracks.^[2] It was also used in the UK for Garnier hair products advertisements. The song was featured in the film and in the trailers for Wong Kar-Wai's debut English production, My Blueberry Nights. In 2009 the song was featured in the movies Mammoth by Lukas Moodysson and Ricky by Francois Ozon.

All tracks on the album were written by Marshall, making it her first album not to include any cover songs.

Critical Acclaim

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Blender	[4]
E! Online	(B)[5]
The Guardian	[6]
Pitchfork Media	(7.9/10)[7]
PopMatters	(6/10)[8]
Rolling Stone	[9]
Spin	(A)[10]
Stylus	(A-)[11]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[12]

Rhapsody ranked the album #6 on its "Alt/Indie’s Best Albums of the Decade" list.^[13] "The mercurial Chan Marshall returned to her Southern roots and recorded this blissful album in Memphis. The Greatest glows with a new ease, and the music itself -- which features many of the greatest soul musicians in history -- is sunny and open. There's a sense of joy coming through here that you'll want to share with friends."

Track listing

All tracks written by Chan Marshall.

1. "The Greatest" – 3:22
2. "Living Proof" – 3:11
3. "Lived in Bars" – 3:44
4. "Could We" – 2:21
5. "Empty Shell" – 3:04
6. "Willie" – 5:57
7. "Where Is My Love" – 2:53
8. "The Moon" – 3:45
9. "Islands" – 1:44
10. "After It All" – 3:31
11. "Hate" – 3:38
12. "Love & Communication" – 4:34

Bonus tracks

13. "Up and Gone" (hidden track on the limited edition) – 2:15
13. "Dreams" (Japanese bonus track) (Felice & Boudleaux Bryant's "All I Have to Do Is Dream") – 2:46

Chart positions

Album

The album debuted at number 34 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 23,000 copies in its first week.^[14]

Chart	Peak position
Australia Album Chart	25
Belgium Album Chart	25
France Album Chart	20
Ireland Album Chart	44
Italy Album Chart	37
Norway Album Chart	35
Swiss Album Chart	57
Sweden Album Chart	50
UK Album Chart	45
U.S. Billboard 200	34
U.S. Top Independent Albums	1

Personnel

• Chan Marshall – vocals, piano, guitar
• Mabon "Teenie" Hodges – guitar on all songs except "Hate"
• Leroy Hodges – bass on #1, #3, #8, #12
• David Smith – bass on #2, #4, #5, #6, #9, #10
• Steve Potts – drums
• Doug Easley – guitar, pedal steel
• Rich Steff – keyboards, clavitone, piano, organ
• Jim Spake – saxophone
• Scott Thompson – trumpet
• Roy Brewer – violin
• Johnathan Kirkscey – cello
• Beth Luscone – viola

External links

• Official website of the album

References

1. ^ The Top 50 Albums of 2006 : Rolling Stone
2. ^ Bones Season 2 Music
3. ^ Allmusic review
4. ^ Blender review
5. ^ E! Online review
6. ^ The Guardian review
7. ^ Pitchfork Media review
8. ^ PopMatters review
9. ^ Rolling Stone review
10. ^ Spin review
11. ^ Stylus review
12. ^ Tiny Mix Tapes review
13. ^ "Alt/Indie’s Best Albums of the Decade" Retrieved 12 January 2010.
14. ^ Katie Hasty, "'Juno' Unseats Keys From Atop Album Chart", Billboard.com, January 30, 2008.