The offbeat and theatrical, yet calmingly cool sounds that Tom Waits fans know and love are served up in a healthy dose on his newest release, Glitter And Doom (Live), and the characteristically gruff singer reveals yet again his versatility and sheer talent in his new live album, recorded on his 2008 tour of the US and Europe.
Waits’ signature gravelly voice strikes unique chords in listeners on Glitter And Doom, often with a poignancy that Waits seems to have mastered, but which is rarely to be found on live albums. From the heart-wrenching “Lucky Day,” to the endearingly romantic “I’ll Shoot The Moon,” to the whiskey-tinged sultriness of “Dirt In the Ground,” Glitter And Doom touches on a wide range of moods and styles that the enduring singer has experimented with throughout the past four decades, from the bluesy to the smoky to the downright obscure.
Some songs are a bit lacking of the grit you’d expect from a live Tom Waits, such as “Falling Down,” which doesn’t quite capture the raw emotion that the lyrics seem to suggest, and the album contains too few of Waits fan favorites in their live versions. Another flaw of the album is the amount of crowd noise that was included in the recordings. We know that Tom Waits is a captivating and talented performer; hearing the crowd cheer loudly for him doesn’t make the songs sound better.
Overall, Glitter And Doom (Live) is worth a listen, for both seasoned Waits fans and those who have never heard his music. It effectively demonstrates Waits’ live persona and offers a glimpse at the vastness of his 40-plus year career, including in the tour some of the hidden gems that have come from Tom Waits’ creative and quirky musical style.
The album comes as a two-disc set, with one CD including “Tom’s Tales,” a 35 minute track consisting of clips of Waits’ charismatic and comical stage banter. The songs included on Glitter And Doom (Live) are melodic and melancholy, creating an album worthy of listening to any time you’ve got the blues… or a just hankering for some whiskey and smoke.
4 stars out of 5