Tom Waits

I almost hyperventilated when I came across this directory with thirteen full-length Tom Waits albums. For the uninitiated, Tom Waits is probably one of the best songwriters in recent memory. Better than Bob Dylan. Better than Burt Bacharach. As for his voice, apparently someone said it sounded "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months and then taken outside and run over with a car." Sounds about right to me. If you like good sounds in your earholes, you'll probably find at least one song you like by Waits. Even if you don't think he's a particularly good songwriter, you'd have to admit he's pretty prolific. Since 1973, he's released 20 albums, and a few years back he released Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards. It was a 3-disc collection of songs he had written throughout his career that he felt just didn't fit in any other album he'd recorded. That's a lot of songs. I just can't tell you how much I like this guy. Anyway, after that disjointed and poorly written review, I'd like to close with some choice tracks. Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis, Train Song, Ruby's Arms, Underground, and for those of you who enjoy bizarrities, try on What's He Building?