Albums to watch

Sun

Cat Power

Sun

Album number nine from the Atlanta-born indie/folk singer-songriter Chan Marshall

ADM rating[?]

7.5

Label
Matador
UK Release date
03/09/2012
US Release date
04/09/2012
  1. 9.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Marshall seems to have evolved from tortured pupil, to worldly teacher and her artistry has matured with her mind-set. Even peering through the gauze of the back-story, Cat Power’s ninth album is a feat of musical and emotional maturity
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  2. 9.0 |   Bowlegs

    Musically, this record is a treasure chest
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  3. 9.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A passionate pop album of electronic music filtered through a singer-songwriter’s soul
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  4. 9.0 |   The Fly

    At its peak, ‘Sun’ reaches greatness
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  5. 8.5 |   Prefix

    The album's been hailed as a kind of emotional breakthrough, but it seems more likely that it's a side of Marshall that was always there, now no longer obscured by dust motes and lingering smoke
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  6. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Who would have guessed this indie basket case would toughen up into such a soulful adult?
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  7. 8.0 |   Q

    A thrilling journey of rediscovery. Print edition only

  8. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Her smoky purr remains delightfully unaltered. Print edition only

  9. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Marshall's vocals fortify the music's backbone like calcium, and what the album lacks in embellishment it makes up for in heart
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  10. 8.0 |   Spin

    A tribute to her belief that contemporary R&B has the power to salve; the self-produced album's sound is closer to the street and further from the bedroom
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  11. 8.0 |   All Music

    These songs are the meeting point between a stormy past and optimism for the future
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  12. 8.0 |   The Quietus

    It's honest, accomplished, and pretty much just beautiful
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  13. 8.0 |   Paste Magazine

    Arguably the most extroverted and gregarious Cat Power album ever
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  14. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    Sobering and impressive
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  15. 8.0 |   Tone Deaf

    Long-time fans will have plenty to love here, but Sun is also worth a look for those who have previously been impervious to Marshall’s introspective charm
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  16. 8.0 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    It’s been a long road back, but Sun is a rewarding return to a new Cat Power, one who seems more at ease with her music and herself than ever before. The greatest reward, though, will be seeing where she goes from here
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  17. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Snippets, rather than full lyrics, emerge like snatches of overheard conversation
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  18. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    This album is what she terms a "rebirth". It is assuredly that
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  19. 8.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Perhaps her most immediately appealing album since 2003's You Are Free
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  20. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Her uncompromising stance is frequently thrilling
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  21. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Aided by woozy, expansive production many of these songs shimmer with warmth and light
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  22. 8.0 |   The Independent

    This album is what she terms a "rebirth". It is assuredly that
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  23. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Sun is an album that conveys the full spectrum of emotions, but at the same time it manages to never sound convoluted or patched together
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  24. 7.9 |   Pitchfork

    Weather-beaten and irrepressibly hopeful songs
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  25. 7.5 |   A.V. Club

    Sun isn’t the greatest collection of songs she’s ever released—let’s give that to You Are Free—but even her B-game is always worth hearing
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  26. 7.5 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    As a window into an artist’s mind, which Cat Power has always been, Sun generally succeeds and it leaves you with the urge to revisit that mind time and again
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  27. 7.3 |   Beats Per Minute

    A worthy, if not entirely successful, entry into her catalogue
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  28. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Undoubtedly Marshall’s boldest and most diverse effort to date, and it is all the better for it
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  29. 7.0 |   BBC

    Sun remains a brave and adventurous change in direction, but in not playing to her strengths and focusing on the minutiae instead of the bigger picture, Marshall is shorn of the intangible magic and emotional force she can summon at her best.
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  30. 7.0 |   NME

    Mostly, Marshall's thickly-layered studio shenanigans make Sun shine
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  31. 7.0 |   Uncut

    She's unlikely to produce a flawless masterpiece - her flightiness puts paid to that. But this is perfection of different sort. Print edition only

  32. 6.0 |   Clash

    Overall it’s a robust, respectable detour but will leave some fans pining for the smoky chanteuse of old
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  33. 6.0 |   The Scotsman

    This is a new(ish) direction but not a radical departure, and is an uncertain statement as a result
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  34. 6.0 |   State

    Sun is a welcome return that hints at further potential and creative development to come
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  35. 6.0 |   PopMatters

    Her most patient and generous record to date
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  36. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    It’s when the mood darkens that Sun finds its stride and starts to truly resonate
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  37. 6.0 |   Under The Radar

    Isn't likely to land among the singer/songwriter's best records
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  38. 4.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    An album of polished electronic pop that mostly struggles to distinguish itself from the current slew of female singers
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Cat Power: Sun

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