Myra Lee

Myra Lee is the second studio album by Cat Power, the stage name and eponymous band of American singer-songwriter Chan Marshall. It was released in 1996 on the Smells Like Records label. The album was named after Marshall's mother.[2]

For the Singaporean diver, see Myra Lee (diver).
Myra Lee
Studio album by
Cat Power
ReleasedMarch 4, 1996
RecordedDecember 1994
StudioMott Street space, New York City, New York, U.S.
Genre
Length46:17
LabelSmells Like Records
ProducerEdward Douglas
Cat Power chronology
Dear Sir
(1995)		 Myra Lee
(1996)		 What Would the Community Think
(1996)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Rolling Stone link

Recording

The album was recorded during the same sessions in which Marshall recorded her previous release, Dear Sir (1995), at a makeshift studio in New York City with drummer Steve Shelley.[3]

Reception

Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that the album contains "churning tempos and spiraling guitars [that] convey Chan Marshall's melancholy musical vision, but gentler songs like the trembling cover of Hank Williams' "Still in Love" and originals like "Top Expert" and "Ice Water" are parts of the picture as well, adding warmth and roundness to the album."[1] Alexander Tudor of Drowned in Sound notes that Marshall "surrounds herself with distortion to create a menacing atmosphere."[4]

Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone awarded the album five out of five stars, writing: "For nearly six minutes on ["Not What You Want"], Marshall strums her guitar and wails the title phrase over and over, wistfully at first, and then desperately; by the end, she's moaning and screaming and banging her head against the wall. It's nails-on-a-chalkboard for nonfans, a sublime moment of hag-rock transcendence for true devotees, and Cat Power's entire career in a nutshell."[5] Biographer Elizabeth Goodman wrote that the album "sounds as if it was written and recorded by moonlight on a rickety old porch in the Deep South during a dark night of the soul."[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Chan Marshall, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Enough" 5:42
2."We All Die" 5:01
3."Great Expectations" 4:19
4."Top Expert" 3:18
5."Ice Water" 3:39
6."Still in Love"Hank Williams3:29
7."Rockets" 4:42
8."Faces" 4:59
9."Fiancé" 0:31
10."Wealthy Man" 5:08
11."Not What You Want" 5:29
Total length:46:17

Personnel

Musicians

  • Chan Marshall – vocals, guitar
  • Steve Shelley – drums
  • Tim Foljahn – guitar

Technical personnel

  • Edward Douglas – engineer, mixing
  • Oliver Strauss – digital editing

References
  1. "Myra Lee". AllMusic. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  2. Goodman 2009, p. 136.
  3. Goodman 2009, p. 136, 146.
  4. Tudor, Alexander (February 18, 2009). "Slowcore Week: Cat Power – the Early Years". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  5. Sheffield, Rob (April 10, 2010). "Cat Power Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  6. Goodman 2009, p. 137.

Works cited
  • Goodman, Elizabeth (2009). Cat Power: A Good Woman. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0-307-39636-5.
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