The new single from quirk-pop favourite Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, makes use of bluesy pianos, Memphis horns and gentle strings to paint a rich picture of late night Southern bars frequented by the type of girls you know you shouldn't take home to your mother.
Lived in Bars is taken from her recent album The Greatest (all-new studio material, not a Greatest Hits collection), for which she returned to Memphis in the pursuit of a '70s vibe, aided and abetted by Mabon 'Teenie' Hodges - a guitarist and songwriter who's worked with Al Green in the past - and other long-standing Memphis session musicians including drummer Steve Potts.
The single (like the rest of the album) was recorded by engineer Stuart Sikes, more famous for his work with Loretta Lynn and Jack White on Van Lear Rose, and there's the same mood of faded glamour about this - small venue, low lights, husky voiced vocals and a tempo that's accepted no-one wants to dance, all soaked through with a bourbon haze that will lull you to sleep on your broken dreams. Bless her.
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