Bad As Me

Musical traveller Tom Waits

Many people probably suppose, that the real blues, with huskiness in voice and sincere emotions was left behind somewhere in the previous century. However that is not quite true. The legacy, created by Muddy Waters, Charlie Patton and others pioneers of that genre played its significant role in the development of many contemporary musical directions. And of course the creativity of those artists made many musicians go exploring the world of blues. There is no doubt that one of the brightest performers of the twentieth century (and now of twenty first century as well) is Tom Waits. He started to play concerts and to record his first albums in seventies, and the early works were in the key of jazz, so the musician was coming to blues gradually, step by step. Nevertheless, none of certain definitions of Tom’s creativity will be full enough, because he established a reputation of an extremely many-sided musician. His compositions include various directions, from blues and jazz to rock and gospel. Tom has always been experimenting with the sound and genres, and his intuition never let him down. Of course, the bluesman’s ideas were realized through compositions, that is why there are so many of them. Studio works, compilation albums, tributes – Tom is definitely among the most hard-working artists, and he pleased his listeners again in 2011. The record called Bad as Me became Tom’s seventeenth studio attempt and it is especially interesting, because it includes only the brand new material.

Sides and edges of Bad as Me

Tom Waits creates atmospheric albums, there cannot be another option. Distant from each other compositions always complete each other, making various moods. The new studio attempt Bad as Me is not an exception. The album’s opening act is a vivid track Chicago, flavored with wind instruments part. Then goes the rock song Raised Right Men, quite unusual for Tom. But if Waits decided to do something, he makes sure to do it just fine: Raised Right Men sounds like a good mix of blues and mid-tempo rock. Talking At The Same Time has soft sound, which, in its turn, predetermined a more delicate manner of performance. Thus, even three songs may demonstrate Tom’s amazing fantasy, inventiveness and his outstanding performing skills. Well, just think about it: falsetto, a bit rough voice or almost tender singing – Waits is successful in every sphere. The title track Bad As Me will show the signature emotional attitude, which can be hardly described and taken as a part of some existing classification. The confident ending of the album is brought by the calm and melodiousness song New Year's Eve that has sadness, peculiar to bluesmen.

A play from Tom Waits

Waits is an incredibly creative person. His performances remind of theatrical plays, with lyrical additions and short stories. Of course, it is simply impossible to represent that atmosphere in the studio; however Tom’s studio attempts certainly have special charm. A little bit careless and slacky manner became the artist’s signature and easy recognizable feature, and it will be hard to mix it up with someone else’s way of performance. Tom’s faithful fans have been patiently waiting for the new material from their favorite singer, and finally they got an amazing long play. Probably Bad as Me will not hit tops of charts, but it does not really matter. Numerous lovers of extraordinary creative approach to music will enjoy the album a lot, because its every detail is highly important: arrangements, melodies and lyrics exist in a harmony, even in spite of the fact that Bad as Me may look a bit chaotic at the first view. All these are parts of a game, where Tom Waits is the best.