The Greatest (Cat Power album)

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.

"Empty Shell" redirects here. For the fraudulent use of shell corporations, see shell corporation.

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

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]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The A.V. Club	A−[5]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[6]
The Guardian	[7]
Los Angeles Times	[8]
NME	8/10[9]
Pitchfork	7.9/10[10]
Q	[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
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."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chan Marshall.

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

Limited edition

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Up and Gone"	2:15

Japanese bonus track

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Dreams" (Felice & Boudleaux Bryant's "All I Have to Do Is Dream")	2:46

Personnel

• Chan Marshall – vocals, piano, guitar
• Mabon "Teenie" Hodges – guitar on all songs except "Hate"
• Leroy Hodges – bass (on tracks: 1, 3, 8, 12)
• David Smith – bass (on tracks: 2, 4-6, 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

Chart positions

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
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

Sales

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Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France	—	31,500[19]
United States	—	125,000[16]
Summaries
Europe	—	100,000[18]
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. The Top 50 Albums of 2006 : Rolling Stone
2. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-best-albums-of-the-2000s-20110718
3. "Reviews for The Greatest by Cat Power". Metacritic. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
4. Phares, Heather. "The Greatest – Cat Power". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
5. Modell, Josh (January 25, 2006). "Cat Power: The Greatest". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
6. Browne, David (January 23, 2006). "The Greatest". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
7. Clarke, Betty (January 20, 2006). "Cat Power, The Greatest". The Guardian. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
8. Nichols, Natalie (January 22, 2006). "Stylish and soulful just the same". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
9. "Cat Power: The Greatest". NME: 33. January 21, 2006.
10. Phillips, Amy (January 22, 2006). "Cat Power: The Greatest". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
11. "Cat Power: The Greatest". Q (235): 102. February 2006.
12. Hoard, Christian (January 23, 2006). "The Greatest". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
13. Hermes, Will (February 2006). "Memphis Belle". Spin. 22 (2): 84. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
14. "Alt/Indie’s Best Albums of the Decade" Retrieved 12 January 2010.
15. Katie Hasty, "'Juno' Unseats Keys From Atop Album Chart", Billboard.com, January 30, 2008.
16. Martens, Todd (September 30, 2006). "UpFront | Pulling In New Fans, Placating Old Ones". Billboard. 118 (39): 18. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
17. "Prodigy, Hives and Cat Power top Impala Sales Awards". Music Week. May 9, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
18. "Impala Press Release - Brussels, Friday, 15 June 2007". Independent Music Companies Association. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
19. "Les Albums les plus Vendus en 2006" (in French). InfoDisc. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2015.