Fans of Chan Marshall's molasses-like covers of
classic songs got plenty to love in 2008: Early in the year, she released Jukebox, her second all-covers
disc. Those inclined to track it down could find the limited-edition version,
which included five extra songs. To bookend the year, Marshall decided to
unleash even more from her Jukebox sessions: Dark End Of The Street, available on vinyl or as
a download, offers six more in exactly the same vein. The title track, made
famous by James Carr, is perfectly suited for Cat Power's mellow makeover,
while CCR's "Fortunate Son" needs a massive reworking in tempo to make sense
for Marshall and her Dirty Delta Blues band. A stab at The Pogues' "Ye Auld
Triangle" doesn't fare as well, but she bounces back with Otis Redding's "I've
Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)," almost finagling as much soul out of
it as Redding did. But even though these covers are often terrific—and a
solid part of Marshall's repertoire by now—they still don't match the
majesty of Cat Power performing Cat Power songs. Hopefully 2009 will see more
of that.