Bad as Me

Now that his high weirdness has been accepted, acclaimed, and even loved, Tom Waits meets us halfway for Bad as Me, his first new studio album in seven years. He’s still America’s craziest uncle, blasting through the pavement with a howl that dreams of Captain Beefheart and Howlin’ Wolf, but he also offers touches of genuine warmth, where his gruff exterior yields to his human heart. “Pay Me” is a piano ballad that opens with the hilarious but all-too-true line “They pay me not to come home.” But while Waits gets his freak on with the stinging power of urban electric blues on the full-bodied “Raised Right Men,” he’s weeping alongside his fellow man on the falsetto ache of “Talking at the Same Time,” where he nails life in 2011. Horns throw the title track into a tough lurch that’s reminiscent of Heartattack and Vine. Keith Richards guests, especially on the humorous “Satisfied.” Tom’s son, Casey Waits, keeps a muscular beat. When Waits has his mojo working, he’s positively scary-good. And be forewarned; he’s got his mojo working here. The deluxe edition includes three additional worthwhile tracks.