Cat Power was actually the name of Chan Marshall's first band in the late 1980s, after she saw a man wearing a cap that read "Cat Diesel Power".
But Chan has since adopted the name as her personal moniker and released 11 studio albums as such. With humble beginnings in New York's indie scene – which often veered into the purely experimental – Cat Power recorded her first two albums, Dear Sir and Myra Lee, simultaneously in 1994.
This would set the pace for the artist for the next decade or so, releasing LPs at a steady pace whilst mixing and matching various influences and genres.
Cat Power became something of a style icon in the early 2000s, catching the eyes of Marc Jacobs and Nicolas Ghesquière with her neo-grungy style. But critics also adored her constantly evolving musical stylings.
Graduating from her lo-fi beginnings to a fuller, perhaps more mercurial style in the mid-2000s, Cat Powers let punk and folk influences seep into her work.
Like a post-post-modern Joni Mitchell, soft singer-songwriting on acoustic guitars might give way to more upbeat tempos and/or electric riffs. Somber folk tunes might morph into punky bursts and vice versa.
For her seventh studio album, Cat Power decided to return to her roots. Recording the whole thing in Memphis, 2006's The Greatest sports a southern-soul sound and features veteran Memphis musicians like Roy Brewer, Steve Potts, and brothers Teenie and Leroy Hodges.
Usually one to include at least one cover song on every release, this would also be the first to feature original material exclusively.
The Greatest went on to become Cat Power's biggest, most successful album, becoming her highest-charting album and garnering the singer-songwriter the 2006 Shortlist Music Prize – making Marshall to first woman to do so.
Starring some of the biggest soul musicians in history and possessing an incredibly polished, familiar-yet-ethereal sound, 2006 The Greatest still retains a singular staying power.
Cat Power, celebrating the album's 20th anniversary, will be visiting the Grand Duchy for the occasion, stopping by at Philharmonie Luxembourg on Friday, 30 October to perform the album in full.
If you would like to celebrate with Cat Powers, you're in luck: RTL Today Radio have three pairs of tickets to give away.
For your chance to win tickets to see Cat Power live at Philharmonie on Friday, 30 October, answer this question:
What year was Cat Power's seventh album, The Greatest, released?
Send your answer, along with your name and email address, to the RTL Today Radio WhatsApp on +352 621 52 5000.
We'll contact the winners ahead of the show. Good luck!
Cat Power
Friday, 30 October, 2026
Philharmonie Luxembourg, Kirchberg
