Tom Waits' Orphans

So I've liked Tom Waits for a while, though by no means do I own his complete collection. Rain Dogs is fantastic, I've got some early compilations of his Asylum Records output, and I enjoy Mule Variations and Bone Machine, and I love watching him give an interview on the Late Night talk shows, just because he is so damn entertaining and a fantastic storyteller.

Recently, Mr. Waits came out with Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards. Apparently there was a limited edition CD set, complete with a 94-page booklet, which was initally put out; currently there's a readily-available digipak. So I ordered the limited edition via half.com, and it arrived in the mail over the holidays. I listen to most of my music via the computer and my small desktop speakers these days, but I put Orphans on the hi-fi last night. I can honestly say that the first disk alone (Brawlers) is one of the better things I have heard in quite some time. Briefly, Waits had a bunch of rarities and obscure tracks that he re-recorded for this album, along with some new songs too. Brawlers is the blues/rock record, Bawlers is his ballads, and Bastards is his, for lack of a better term, "out-there" stuff. I forgot how good this guy's voice is. It really is the highlight, and is always engaging. Fantastic stuff.

Tom Waits: "You Can Never Hold Back Spring"

Tom Waits: "Bottom of the World"

Tom Waits: "Lord I've Been Changed"

YouTube: "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis"