Brand new album Wanderer from Cat Power is the singer’s first new release in 6 years. The album was mixed by Ron Schnapf and features a guest appearance from Lana Del Ray on fourth track “Woman.”
The title track opener is gentle and true to Cat Power’s American roots. She sings: “Oh wanderer, I’ve been wondering / If your brown eyes still have color, could I see? /
That night, that night with those hands, those hands / That night, that night, oh, galleon ring.” She sings it with the authority of a woman of blues who has spent her fair share of the time on the road. At the same time, the track is delicate, even fragile with a welcoming feel of a community.
The album perks up a little with “You Get” which combines a more upbeat tempo with hypnotic, wavering vocals. It is in this middle section that the album really peaks. Lana Del Rey’s feature on ‘Woman’ is wonderful and I won’t hold back in saying that she sounds far more alive and impassioned here than she does on her own albums.
The subsequent track “Horizon” is the album’s best. The piano melody is simultaneously melancholy and uplifting at the same time. She sings: “Mother, I know your face / Father, still hold your place / Sister, I’m around you / Remember me.” The song sounds like coming home after a long day at the work or coming home from a year on the road. It’s warmly homesick and deeply beautiful. It’s definitely a track to listen to over and over and get emotional to without being able to pinpoint why.
The songs which follow stay grounded in blues, folk and American roots. “Stay” is another track with a great piano backing and “Robin Hood” is a bare but lovely track with nothing but soft acoustic and Cat Power’s haunting voice.
The album closer “Wanderer/Exit” is appropriately miles apart from the title track opener. Cat Power has taken us on a powerful journey and leaves us with the suspicion that we’ve experienced love, life, and loss through the creative expression of a unique soul.
Wanderer is a stunning album which is stripped back musically but at the same time is bursting with life and stories.
4.5/5
