Tom Waits: Satisfied
Tom Waits, Kronos Quartet & Greg Cohen: Down In The Hole
Tom Waits is one of favorite musical artists of all time and, in any genre. I would put him on a short list with Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Keith Jarrett, The Assad Brothers and a few others. But that is a blog for another time.
Something New: By now it's not breaking news that Tom Waits released a new album this week entitled Bad As Me. But if you're holding out on purchasing it, just stop it. What are you waiting for? We all know that Tom Waits has been putting out a consistantly quality product since the early 70's, and Bad As Me is no exception. The album snarles, moans, hisses, and croons. Bad As Me is badass.
Something Old: As an obsessive Tom Waits fan I was appalled to learn this week that I've missed a beat. What I learned is that in 2008 Tom Waits teamed up with the tour de force string quartet the Kronos Quartet, and bassist Greg Cohen on a collaborative album entitled Healing the Divide: A Concert for Peace and Reconcilliation. This set was live a re-imagining of some Waits classics which are energized and unabashed in their creative display. I actually found myself pounding on my work desk and dancing in my office when I heard this music for the first time. I hope you have the same visercal recation. After all, Tom Waits is ineffably cool.