By Zack Gill
Arts Editor
With his dark music, maniacal-balladeer persona, rare live performances, bizarre roles in various independent films and lengthening times between albums, singer-songwriter Tom Waits has become an elusive and nearly mythical pop culture figure.
On his latest album, “Bad Like Me,” Waits doesn’t throw any curveballs. Instead, Waits makes music that feeds both his croon escaping
balladeer persona, as well as the “carnival barker from hell” persona. Waits’ newest record features some of his most beautiful songwriting to date juxtaposed with junkyard howlers.
Waits has among the largest of cult followings in modern American music, influencing modern blues, alternative rock and punk music. He began his career as a somewhat conventional singer-songwriter, until his album “Swordfish Trombone,” in which it seemed as if he had a piece of glass lodged in his throat.
After his voice began to transform, his music followed suit. His songwriting began to feature a combination of some of his earlier soulful songwriting, along with newer, darker stylings, ranging from Dylanesque barking to jazzy song-speak.
“Bad As Me” fits right into Waits’ discography with its varied songwriting. Album opener “Chicago” would feel right at home on Waits’ seminal record, “Rain Dogs.” It features a terrifying horn section, as well as Waits’ classic sleazy, streetwise and poetical lyricism. The song is a great palette cleanser. Listeners might approach it as if the track would set the tone for the rest of the album. This is not the case, as “Bad As Me” is seemingly incapable of maintaining a singular sonic identity.
“Bad As Me” can be as jarring as a ship in stormy weather, with its staggering tonal dissonance from track to tracks. Listeners can groove to sinful ditties like “Get Lost,” which feature Waits’ signature sing-speak style, for one moment.
Suddenly, listeners will be treated with tracks like “Face to the Highway” (the track directly after “Get Lost”). Tracks like this feature blusier singing and sparser instrumentation.
Yet still, the album can veer into vastly different sonic spaces. “Back in the Crowd” is a straight-up love song, where Waits attempts to reconcile with a lover. The track features lush, quiet instrumentation, with Waits singing at nearly a whisper.
Occasionally, the album harkens back to what many consider
ing this habit during “Dark Side,” where she fills most of the song with a softer touch that sends the listener into a more peaceful state. Still, she tries to make the song an energetic dance-beat, when she should really be focusing on staying away from these overly animated sections and work on composing a different, more soothing, melody.
The lyrics of the entire album are the most unoriginal, unsatisfying weak spot to an already sup-par recording. Clarkson was unable to sing lyrics that conveyed any sort of emotion or deeper meaning, and simply stated clichéd slogans that she could have easily change with more expressive and emotional lines.
“Stronger” is definitely one of Clarkson’s weaker albums, and it is disappointing that she couldn’t produce anything more creative, considering her talent. The album is now available in stores nationwide and on the Internet.
Waits’ most challenging record, “Bone Machine.” That song consists of Waits yelling over bizarre percussion rhythms that evoke images of an actual instrument made of bone.
Waits veers into that sort of songwriting on “Bad As Me.” Perhaps self-referentially, Waits asks, “How many times can you polish a turd?” on penultimate track “Hell Broke Luce.” The track doesn’t break any new sonic ground, but it definitely supplies the listener with some familiar thrills from Waits’ discography.
Ultimately, the album is a bit too schizophrenic to truly form a cohesive musical experience. It never reaches a singular sonic palette like some of Waits’ strongest records. Still, it features some of his loveliest, most introspective songwriting to date. Even lesser Waits material is better than most other music.
“Bad As Me” is a great starter record for people unfamiliar with Waits. It offers a sampling of some of the best things Waits has to offer, but doesn’t actually offer any aspect of Waits at his best. “Bad As Me” is available now in record stores and for digital download.
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