Over the years, Tom Waits has delivered some great album titles: Nighthawks at the Diner, Swordfishtrombones, The Heart Of Saturday Night and now his new box set Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards.

Ever since the release of Closing Time (no relation to the Semisonic song, unless they were Tom Waits fans) in 1973, Waits has been something of a musical chameleon, keeping his intensely eclectic music shifting at all times. Yet he still creates and maintains an incredibly loyal following. It is uncanny how many artists today have Tom Waits on their Myspace.com list of musical influences. These artists range from quirky piano songstress Regina Spektor to guitar virtuoso Steve Vai.

Waits' vast catalogue and variety of songs can make it a daunting task for those picking up their first Tom Waits album. Luckily, Waits' new collection of 56 tracks can give a good first taste to those who are not familiar with the music, as well as some fresh new tracks for his loyal followers.

For the three-disc set, Waits reworked unfinished tracks, recorded a few covers, and compiled songs that have appeared on soundtracks. As the title of the collection implies, the group of songs are those that did not fit onto prior albums. The three discs are individually titled Brawlers (the hard hitting songs), Bawlers (softer tunes) and Bastards (the flat-out bizarre).

The beautiful thing about putting these three discs together is that it represents the vast polarity within Waits' musical canon. He can raise fists, raise lighters and raise eyebrows with ease. At the same time, the collection in no way represents a "greatest hits" album, either.

The Orphans' first single is "Lie to Me," a rockabilly song off of the Brawlers disc. It is a cross of early Elvis and Buddy Holly, but sung in a voice that is unmistakably Waits'. The song is also accompanied by a fantastic music video, which is also available online.

Even though the first single off of Orphans is one that showcases Waits' rock side, the true shining disc in the collection is Bawlers. His reprisals of "Young at Heart" and "Goodnight Irene" are, to put it simply, beautiful. Waits' incredible piano playing on the disc sets up almost every song with a soothing mood. Though his rough voice in any social situation might send little kids home crying, his voice when he sings is so comforting listeners can get utterly lost in these songs. So lost, in fact, they might not even realize when he may be singing through a megaphone, a trick Waits often employs.

It cannot be overlooked that Waits is also a poet in every sense of the word. His lyrics are, for lack of a better word, nearly perfect. They have the ability to take the listener into a world wholly unfamiliar to him or her, a world that Tom Waits has created. Take for example, this verse from "Little Drop of Poison": "Did the devil make the world while God was sleeping?/ Someone said you'll never get a wish from a bone." Another verse from the same song runs, "I like my town with a little drop of poison/ Nobody knows they're lining up to go insane/ I'm all alone, I smoke my friends down to the filter/ But I feel much cleaner after it rains." Other stunning remade songs include "The Fall of Troy" and "Lord I've Been Changed." Waits' ridiculous ability to create beauty out of what, if sung by anyone else, would sound like an Irish drinking song, is the true wonder of the Bawlers disc.

This brings us to the last disc of the trilogy, Bastards. As the name implies this is a collection of Waits' oddities, and he has a treasure trove of them. Those who are familiar with some of Waits' previous albums are in for a treat with the reemergence of his spoken-word songs. After single handedly bringing the spoken-word song into the limelight with tracks such as "Frank's Wild Years" and "Step Right Up," Waits has not recorded a new spoken-word track in several years. Thankfully, Orphans provides several: "Army Ants" and "First Kiss" both provide a healthy does of the humor for which Waits has become famous.

For an artist who has been around since the late '60s, the fact that his music is still incredibly compelling is a true testament to his talent. Even if many of the songs are reworked classics, listeners cannot help but be drawn in to the world that this man has created in his music, wherever that may be.

Grade: 5 of 5