Sun

Returning with her first original music since The Greatest, Cat Power's Chan Marshall unites elements from the different phases of her career into an album that's not just satisfying, but genuinely uplifting. Before making Sun, Marshall battled with a severe case of writer's block, eventually turning to writing songs with largely electronic arrangements -- territory she hadn't explored much previously, and a far cry from The Greatest's Memphis-soaked roots rock. She enlisted Cassius' Philippe Zdar (who has also worked with Cut Copy and Phoenix) and Iggy Pop to help her make this sound her own, and on songs such as "3, 6, 9" and "Nothin' But Time," she does, triumphantly.