Rediscovering Tom Waits

I recently rediscovered (listening wise) Tom Waits, a musician who had been out of my life since my childhood. When I was growing up, one of the albums from my parent’s record collection that I used to listen to was the soundtrack of the film “One from the Heart” featuring Tom Waits. At the time I remember being intrigued by this man’s husky vocal qualities, which sat nicely alongside the jazz arrangements on the record. Now, all these years later I am getting back into this man’s music after an extended break (why the break I do not know). So far I have listened to two albums, the experimental and quirky “Rain Dogs”, and his second studio album “The Heart of Saturday Night” with its strong jazz influences. What I love about this musician is his ability to write songs in so many different styles on one album alone, as evidenced on Rain Dogs and yet still sound like Tom Waits. His unique vocals fit well alongside styles ranging from jazz, soul, and folk, while his lyrics range from the obscure to the beautiful. I am so glad I went back to Tom Waits as musically he had a lasting impression on me from my childhood. The man is a creative genius all be it often overlooked musically, or at least standing in the shadows alongside other great musical poets such as Dylan, and Cohen. Therefore it was fitting that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Now that I have got another taste of his music, I look forward to exploring his diverse back catalogue more.   

- Sam