Loading AI tools
2006 studio album by Cat Power From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Greatest is the seventh studio album by Cat Power, the stage name and eponymous band of American singer-songwriter Chan Marshall. All tracks on the album were written by Marshall, making it her first album not to include any cover songs. The Memphis Rhythm Band includes Roy Brewer, 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 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Standard cover. Slipcover editions feature a picture of Marshall on each one. | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 20, 2006 | |||
Recorded | May 2005 | |||
Studio | Ardent Studios, Memphis | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 44:34 | |||
Label | Matador | |||
Producer | Stuart Sikes | |||
Cat Power chronology | ||||
|
The Greatest debuted at #34 on the Billboard 200, her highest charting album at the time. It also won the 2006 Shortlist Music Prize, making Marshall the first woman to win the honor. It was also named the 6th best album of 2006 by Rolling Stone, as well as the 26th best album of the decade.[1][2]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 80/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | A−[5] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[6] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 8/10[9] |
Pitchfork | 7.9/10[10] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | A[13] |
The Greatest has received a very positive response since its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on 35 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[3]
Rhapsody ranked the album #6 on its "Alt/Indie’s Best Albums of the Decade" list.[14] "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."
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
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 |
All tracks are written by Chan Marshall
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Up and Gone" | 2:15 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Dreams" (Felice & Boudleaux Bryant's "All I Have to Do Is Dream") | 2:46 |
The album debuted at number 34 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 23,000 copies in its first week.[15] As of 2009, the album has tallied 125,000 copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[16] It was awarded a gold certification from the Independent Music Companies Association,[17] which indicated sales of at least 100,000 copies throughout Europe.[18]
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[19] | 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 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States | — | 125,000[16] |
Summaries | ||
Europe | — | 100,000[18] |
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.