“Jukebox” by Cat Power

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Chan Marshall shows minimalism in its best light.

Better known by her stage name Cat Power, she ensures every instrument is heard in each of the 17 tracks off “Jukebox.” She pours a life’s worth of emotion and a taste of folk and jazz into a list of covers. They almost qualify as second originals.

None of her songs come across as bad karaoke renditions, re-done simply for the sake of redoing. During some numbers, however, I couldn’t help but miss the original artist, as with James Brown’s “Lost Someone.” Other songs, however, outdo the originals in Marshall’s signature minimalist, over-the-top contradiction.

“Silver Stallion” is folk at its best. An acoustic guitar takes center stage and elicits a mandatory back-and-forth sway from the listener. It reminds us why the electric guitar made The Highwaymen original sound so tacky.

“Song To Bobby” is strikingly reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” which also incorporates Dylan’s storytelling style. It fits behind Marshall’s cover of “I Believe In You” like a glove. The vocals are similar, while each tells a poignant story of its own.

Many songs off this playlist allude to Dylan’s pre-electric days, but Marshall is no Dylan. Unlike him, she tries to tackle lounge and jazz classics.

Billie Holiday’s “Don’t Explain” maintains the original’s bluesy nightclub swagger. Fans of distinctive mood music will appreciate her rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “New York.”

I can’t understand the Spanish in “Angelito’s Negros,” but the emotion translates perfectly.

I’d say she’s got a shot at a heart-on-your-sleeve duel with even the queen of vocal emotion, Roberta Flack. Marshall helps us enjoy this song without killing us softly by reminding us of “Killing Me Softly” with every chord, per the original.

I have a gripe, however — variety. What’s the point of doing a covers album when you maintain a similar repertoire throughout? “New York” flows right into “Ramblin’ (Wo)man” without any real change in beat or mood. She does the same later by squeezing “Don’t Explain” into Joni Mitchell’s “Blue.” Onstage, Marshall is known for connecting songs together without much of a pause, as if they’re medleys. Maybe that persona is trying to show through the record, but I’d like it better if she didn’t do it with covers. The originals were singles for a reason.

“Jukebox” is one emotional set. Listening all the way through is like seeing editorial photos from international war zones: They’re tragic and you want to go in a corner and cry, but they’re just so good you can’t stop looking.

And now, a Kleenex, please.