TOM WAITS - REAL GONE

This October 5th, Tom Waits\' newest album, Real Gone will begin working its chaos theory magic on the world at large. Waits has been an influential musician for over 30 years, inpsiring musicians in the folk, blues, jazz, rock, gospel, and even metal genres. With this, his most sonically dynamic record yet, I doubt the tradition will cease. The hip-hop of the opening track \"Top of the Hill\" fades into the Cuban-influenced, raucous \"Hoist That Rag\", which leads into the Delta ballad \"Sins of My Father\". The styles weave in and out, but they do so seamlessly, as a testament to Waits\' true artistry.

Though the album is composed of many first takes which create a sort of imperfect perfection, many of the tracks incorporate percussive samples from the hours of vocal takes Waits originally recorded for the album. To date, no manufacturer has created a bass drum capable of the rabid savagery produced by Waits simply intoning the word \"boom\".

The only thing missing is the abundance of Waits\' trademark beautiful maladies, opulent melodies contrasted by richly emotional lyrics presented with his humble growl. Granted, there are poignant songs like \"Dead and Lovely\", \"Trampled Rose\" and \"Day after Tomorrow\", but the melodies seem recycled from his past works. For longtime fans of Waits\' music, Real Gone may be akin to visiting one\'s favorite museum only to find they have taken down all of the Renoirs they owned. Fortunately for us all there are plenty of new Dalis, Picassos and Pollocks.