The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction,"
performed by Cat Power

With her gentle rendering of "Satisfaction," arguably the biggest hit by one of the most misogynist bands of all time, Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) strikes a resounding blow for feminism and gets rid of that annoying chorus at the same time.

Stark, laid-back and beautiful, Cat Power's The Covers Record finds its emotional core with "Salty Dog" and "Sea of Love," but it's "Satisfaction" that gets things started. Featuring nothing but Marshall's beautiful, husky, country-girl voice and an acoustic guitar, the song becomes more circumstance than pomp, as Marshall wends her way from verse to verse, pausing for a brief guitar-only interlude where the shouted chorus should be. The result is tranquil and understated.

But below the surface, a woman singing about "trying to make some boy" and complaining about her "losing streak" might have landed Marshall in social hot water back in the Stones' heyday. Despite all the talk of a sexual revolution, women like Lil' Kim are still getting in trouble for talking about their needs. But rather than coming across as a controversial bit of rabble-rousing, Marshall's understated lyrical gender reversal seems all in the name of clever sexual straight talk. Probably not what Mick and Keith intended.

— Eric Wittmershaus (ericw at flakmag dot com)