Three songs, revisited with soul, silence and hard-earned grace.
With Redux, Cat Power doesn’t chase novelty—she leans into memory, soul and restraint, and somehow makes that feel urgent. These three songs feel like quiet after-hours recordings: intimate, lived-in and emotionally precise. Rather than reworking The Greatest for spectacle, Chan Marshall treats these tracks like conversations she’s ready to have again, now older and steadier.
“Try Me” opens the EP with aching patience. James Brown’s original is pleading and dramatic; Cat Power’s version pulls that emotion inward. Her vocal is fragile but controlled, floating over a slow, warm groove that feels steeped in Memphis soul. The restraint is the point—she lets silence do as much work as the melody. It’s less about heartbreak exploding and more about heartbreak settling into the body.
“Could We” is the emotional anchor. Revisiting her own song from The Greatest, Marshall doesn’t radically change it—she deepens it. The arrangement feels looser and more human, shaped by years of live performance. There’s a quiet confidence here, as if she’s no longer asking the question with uncertainty, but with acceptance. It’s a reminder of how well her songwriting ages when given space to breathe.
“Nothing Compares 2 U” closes the EP with reverence. Cat Power has covered this song before, but this version feels especially tender and intentional. She avoids theatrics, delivering the lyrics with a gentle ache that honors Prince without imitating him. The performance feels like a tribute not just to the song, but to loss itself—personal, musical and historical.
Overall, Redux isn’t flashy, but it’s deeply satisfying. These songs glow rather than shine. They confirm what Cat Power has always done best: turning vulnerability into something durable, something that lingers long after the last note fades.
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