Tom Waits brings you an invitation to the blues; a walk into a harsh reality with too many drinks, a bad liver and a broken heart. If he isn’t wasted and wounded, then he’ll probably serve you a drink or two, or perhaps a song. Sure, there are ups and downs in this lifestyle, but all in all it is impressive and relaxing to listen to.

As a true poet, Waits rhymes cleverly through both the spoken and the sung parts of Small Change, doing both with great enthusiasm. His lyrics tell about drinking, strippers, the hard life on the road and everything seems so authentic, perhaps because of his charismatic voice and persona. The quiet piano sets the relaxing mood that fills this album, and while the gentle strings sing along, you can almost hear Waits pouring up that next glass of whiskey.

Some of the numbers on Small Change are done in a beatnik fashion with Waits reciting his texts rather than singing them, which works really well. He almost raps along with the jazzy bass lines and distinctive drums in a way that only he can. Even though he isn’t singing, he still makes those brilliant little accents and remarks that seizes his very distinctive vibe. His almost growling voice is astonishing and at times surreal; the fact that he’s able to perform in this way is impressing, because it could sound like he has had few drinks and cigarettes too much. This is also a matter that the lyrics deals with, as on the silly, but amusing “The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (An Evening with Pete King)”, where he presents his drinking in a truly humorous way. The opening number tells about a hard night in a foreign town, which surely includes drinking. These confessions are joined by other clever songs such as “Jitterbug Boy”, a self-conscious bluesy tune that swings along nicely.

Mr. Waits’ hard lifestyle on road has hardened him, and even though this was released only three years after his debut album, he sounds like a real pro. His sound is old, heavy and so experienced that you would expect it to come from an aging black blues man, but Tom Waits pulls it off like a master himself.

by Emil