Tom Waits: Bad as Me

****

For a man on his 22nd album, Tom Waits “seems as vital and feisty as he’s ever been,” said Luke Epplin in TheAtlantic­â€‹.com. Credit a tenaciousness born of defying the mainstream for so long or the “uncharacteristic tautness” of each track, but this Waits album has more life than any in years. The recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is aided by an all-star cast of collaborators, including Keith Richards, Marc Ribot, and the bassist Flea. The collection of songs Waits brings to the table may be “his most broadly emotional set ever,” said Will Hermes in Rolling Stone. Most surprising is that despite the presence of ace musicians, “Waits’s voice is the star.” His “phlegmy bark” can come off “like shtick on first blush,” but here it delves into unexpected emotions, especially in its high register. Waits also manages a bit of playfulness on the Stones-inspired “Satisfied,” with Richards gamely riffing along. As a piece of musical referencing, “it doesn’t get much better than this.”

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