Rocktrospectiva: The Acclaimed "Bad As Me" Turns 15

 

Released on 21 October 2011 "Bad As Me" was the 17th., studio album by US singer-songwriter Tom Waits, the album is known to have been recorded as early as February 2011 and was officially announced for release on August 23, 2011, on Waits' official web site and various social media networks. On the same day, the title track, "Bad as Me", was released as the album's first single on iTunes and the second single was "Back In The Crowd."  

The album was Waits' first album consisting completely of new material in seven years since Real Gone (2004). Waits' label, Anti-, had recently agreed on a distribution deal with Warner Music Group allowing them to release the album internationally. This marked Waits' first release through the Warner organization since Heartattack and Vine (1980). Upon its release, Bad as Me received widespread critical acclaim and the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and was Wait's first top 10 in the US peaking at No. 6.  

After several rumours; Waits announced on his official web site and through various social media outlets that he would "set the rumors straight" on August 23. On this date, the title track was released as a digital single through iTunes, a video with previews of the album was released on YouTube, according to an announced released at the time that read:  Bad As Me is Tom Waits' first studio album of all new music in seven years. This pivotal work refines the music that has come before and signals a new direction. Waits, in possibly the finest voice of his career, worked with a veteran team of gifted musicians and longtime co-writer/producer Kathleen Brennan. From the opening horn-fueled chug of "Chicago," to the closing barroom chorale of "New Year's Eve," Bad As Me displays the full career range of Waits' songwriting, from beautiful ballads like "Last Leaf," to the avant cinematic soundscape of "Hell Broke Luce," a battlefront dispatch. On tracks like "Talking at the Same Time," Waits shows off a supple falsetto, while on blues burners like "Raised Right Men" and the gospel tinged "Satisfied" he spits, stutters and howls. Like a good boxer, these songs are lean and mean, with strong hooks and tight running times. A pervasive sense of players delighting in each other's musical company brings a feeling of loose joy even to the album's saddest songs." 

In an interview regarding Bad as Me, Waits confirmed the influence of Captain Beefheart, who had died earlier the same year. This collection continued the trajectory of everything Waits has produced since his 1980s era—bizarre offerings featuring an array of instruments, eclectic themes, and, of course, Waits’s signature haunting, plaintive, and gravelly voice. 

The set opened with "Chicago," part of a diverse sequence of songs—most lasting between two and four-and-a-half minutes—that, while generally slow-paced, undergo significant shifts. Key examples included the slow, melancholic "Face to the Highway"; the deeply sorrowful "Pay Me" which featured a beautiful accordion accompaniment; and "Kiss Me," in which Waits, asked his lover to kiss him as if they were uninhibited strangers. 

Then there was the ever-playful, mischievous, and ironic side of Waits—evoking a circus-like atmosphere in tracks such as "Raised Right Men" and "Get Lost." Here, the genius sounded almost as if he is barking, backed at times by a horn section, a rock-inflected guitar, or a simple organ—a sound that would surely startle any curious newcomer. There was also the promotional track "Bad As Me," where Waits, as always, toys with rhythm and his own vocal delivery. The journey concluded with "New Year's Eve." 

The album achieved widespread critical acclaim, the album considered a portrait of all the places he's traveled as a recording artist, the album was also praised for containing "no filler at all. Finally Waits' embraced of a legacy that now includes enshrinement in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame," concluding that "for longtime fans it's a fun reminder of Waits' ability to be a badass when necessary. 

 

Bad As Me Track List: 

 

1.  Chicago
2. Raised Right Men
3. Talking at the Same Time
4. Get Lost
5. Face to the Highway
6. Pay Me»
7. Back in the Crowd
8. Bad as Me
9. Kiss Me
10. Satisfied
11. Last Leaf
12. Hell Broke Luce
13. New Year's Eve