The next Cat Power album’s set for January 2006. Here’s the title track—an unusually lush waltz-like number from a singer-songwriter known best for far more barren and downbeat numbers like “American Flag,” off 1998’s Moon Pix, and the haunting “Names” from 2003’s You Are Free. Fans of Chan Marshall’s earlier work might balk at this first taste of the new album, which could be construed as a concession to more mainstream tastes; after all, between her occasionally difficult material and her often difficult live performances (Marshall’s best-known attribute is her unpredictable stage fright), Cat Power’s appeal is hardly universal. I, for one, appreciate the sound of the new track; there’s a new confidence, possibly lent to her by the backing band of Memphis musicians she’s assembled. Marshall’s fragile persona is only so compelling, but if “The Greatest” is anything to go by, it’s possible she may have finally gotten the awkward shrinking violet out of her system.