Bad As Me (2011) Without abandoning his classic formula — junkyard percussion, loose-limbed blues licks, and that unmistakable mouth-of-hell baritone — Waits keeps pulling switcheroos out of his porkpie… Tom Waits Rock Anti-
Music Review

Bad As Me (2011)

Tom Waits
Reviewed by Kyle Anderson | Oct 25, 2011
SO 'BAD' IT'S GOOD Waits carries on with his growling glory on his 20th album
Image credit: Danny Clinch
SO 'BAD' IT'S GOOD Waits carries on with his growling glory on his 20th album
EW's GRADE
A-

Details Release Date: Oct 24, 2011; Lead Performance: Tom Waits; Genre: Rock; Production: Anti-

Without abandoning his classic formula — junkyard percussion, loose-limbed blues licks, and that unmistakable mouth-of-hell baritone — Waits keeps pulling switcheroos out of his porkpie hat on his 20th album. Keith Richards drops in some rambling six-string on ''Chicago,'' and few ballads weep as profoundly as ''Pay Me.'' One thing you can't fake: Waits' personal universe, full of carnies, dust, tears, whiskey, and hope. And yes, a whole lot of growling. A-

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Originally posted Oct 19, 2011 Published in issue #1178 Oct 28, 2011 Order article reprints