Search - Various Artists :: New Coat of Paint: Songs of Tom Waits

So it's not Tom...

T. J. Clark | Lewisville, TX USA | 12/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nobody can be Tom but Tom. (Just listen to John Hammond's attempts to sound dangerous, and you'll know what I mean.) That said, these are some damn creative interpretations of Tom's work. Not just creative, because it can be creative and still [bad]. This stuff is creative and sounds good.In my collection, I have four different covers of Heartattack and Vine, and Lydia Lunch's is still my favorite. Muriel is great done in prayerful whispers, and the guy that sings Broken Bicycles lays down a dirge for a vocal track. Screamin' Jay opens the throttle up wide on Whistlin', and the call-and-answer format of Virginia Avenue is really neat.I like music that doesn't sound like everything else. That's why I like Tom. If that's why you listen, you owe it to yourself to pick up both this and "Step Right Up," which, in its own way, is even weirder and more wonderful than this one."

Amateur hour

T. J. Clark | 06/19/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"For the first time ever with my many purchases on Amazon, I'm going to look into a return. I'm a huge Waits fan but this disc doesn't honor Tom at all. Very, very average covers but various artists that my be good on their own but not great when singing Tom's tunes. Don't bother..."

...and some varnish, too.

T. J. Clark | 06/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I like Tom Waits' newer (Island years) stuff better than his old, so I was nervous about picking this album up. I'm glad I overcame those fears. The tracks here are closer to the Island material, even though they are sung by a hodgepodge of musicians. Screamin' Jay Hawkins' grooving 'Whistlin' Past the Graveyard' is almost worth the price of the CD in itself. Its motion flows directly into Andre Williams' 'Pasties and a G-String,' a track that makes up the change for the album if Hawkins' effort didn't do it for you. The motion halts and lurches at Lydia Lunch's 'Heartattack and Vine,' but in a good way. Lunch yowls like a wounded cat, always a good tactic for a Tom Waits song. If Tom was born a Tomitta, s/he'd sound a lot like Lunch, I reckon. Dexter's Romweber's Infernal Racket produces, besides a long band name, a great version of 'Romeo is Bleeding.' You can feel the scuz. Other highlights include Lee Rocker's 'New Coat of Paint,' smooth and cool like it should be, Preacher Boy's 'Old Boyfriends,' folky and soulfull, and Carla Bozulich mournful 'On the Nickel.' In short, if you're like me and tired of trying to find rare Waits bootlegs and strapping for something similar, this tribute is a great place to start. I'd never heard of Andre Williams before picking 'New Coat of Paint' up, but now, I'm ready to go out and buy some of his albums."