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Our album of the week (21st October 2011)
...according to our Mike on Thu 20 Oct, 2011.
It's an exciting day for us at Norman Towers v2.0 today. Tom Waits's brand new LP just showed up! This is his first studio outing in seven years, but Waits is still yet to disappoint with his oft-imitated-but-never-improved-upon trademark gravelly growl taking the fore in these gnarled mutant blues-pop songs, big band shuffles and smoky bar-room torch songs ('Kiss Me' and 'Last Leaf' sound like they could've come straight off Blue Valentine). There's plenty of the theatrical and bombastic Alice-style weirdness that he's become more known for of late on the likes of 'Hell Broke Luce', but this is a more melodic and accessible collection than he's brought out in many years. Mood-wise that recent Glitter and Dust live CD that came out is a good comparison, with balladeering and crunchy blues being the primary points of focus. He sounds like he's having a lot of fun, especially on the Nick Cave-esque swampy gospel blues of Raised Right Men. He's put together quite a backing band, too...his son Casey does a superb job on the drums, Keith Richard pops up on guitar on a handful of tracks, and Flea and Les Claypool both have their say in the bass department. The packaging's beautiful too. The 180g LPs come with a full-size colour printed booklet and CD copy of the album and initial deluxe copies of the CD version come packaged in a 40-page hardback book with a three-song bonus disc. Both formats look and sound phenomenal. This will no doubt shoot effortlessly into my year-end top ten, but you really shouldn't need me to tell you that you need this one.
Throughout his career, Tom Waits has created milestone albums that serve both to refine the music that has come before, and to signal a new phase in his career: ‘Rain Dogs’ and ‘Mule Variations’ are both counted by fans as among these pivotal works. Now comes ‘Bad As Me’, his first studio album of all new music in seven years, which finds Tom Waits in possibly the finest voice of his career and at the height of his songwriting powers, working with a veteran team of gifted musicians and long-time co-writer/producer Kathleen Brennan.
From the opening horn-fuelled chug of ‘Chicago’, to the closing barroom chorale of ‘New Year’s Eve’, ‘Bad As Me’ displays the full career range of Waits’ songwriting, from beautiful ballads like ‘Last Leaf’, to the avant cinematic soundscape of ‘Hell Broke Luce’, a battlefront dispatch. On tracks like ‘Talking At The Same Time’, Waits shows off a supple falsetto, while on blues burners like ‘Raised Right Men’ and the gospel tinged ‘Satisfied’ he spits, stutters and howls. Like a good boxer, these songs are lean and mean, with strong hooks and tight running times. And there is a pervasive sense of players delighting in each other’s musical company that brings a feeling of loose joy even to the album’s saddest songs. ‘Bad As Me’ is a Tom Waits album for the ages.
Tom Waits is a global icon, to the countless young musicians who name-check him as a major influence, and the press and critics who consistently list Tom as one of the most important artists in popular music.
Tom was inducted by Neil Young on March 20th 2011 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The album cover, a photographic self-portrait by Waits, is an instant classic in a long line of classic Tom Waits’ album covers.
This is his first studio record since 2004’s Real Gone. In the interval he has released the 3-CD rarities collection Orphans (certified gold) and Glitter and Doom Live, a document of his sold-out 2008 tour.
Tom’s catalogue has been sold over 6 million times worldwide.
Waits has appeared in some of his most significant film roles to date in the last year, including Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus with the late Heath Ledger, and The Book of Eli with Denzel Washington.
Tom Waits has over 1.2 million followers on Facebook, and every post is greeted with immense excitement.
CD) 1 Chicago, 2 Raised Right Men, 3 Talking At The Same Time, 4 Get Lost, 5 Face To The Highway,
6 Pay Me, 7 Back In The Crowd, 8 Bad As Me, 9 Kiss Me, 10 Satisfied, 11 Last Leaf, 12 Hell Broke Luce, 13 New Year's Eve,
Deluxe CD2) 1 She Stole The Blush, 2 Tell Me, 3 After You Die,
Packaging: Ltd edition deluxe package includes 40 page book and 16 songs on 2 CDs
LP Packaging: Single jacket with a 5mm spine. Includes one 180g LP and a full-size 12 page book containing lyrics and photos, + CD of the album
Bullitnuts said:
Yes. Mr Waits is the best. On repeat all day. ALL ABOARD!
So, what do you think? Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!
Norman Records,
Unit 20, Croydon House,
Croydon Street,
Leeds,
LS11 9RT, UK.
Tel/fax: (+44) 0113 245 4399
Email: phil@normanrecords.com
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