It's Only Rock-n-Roll

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME! Lucinda Williams: West (Lost Highway, 2007) B+ L IKE most major artists who have something relevant to say, Lucinda Williams has evolved over the years. In 1988, the shy, introspective 35 year old alt-country phenom from Lake Charles, Louisiana, arrived on the music scene and through sheer courage and strength of will propelled her self-titled debut into the best kept secret in pop music since Gram Parsons bumped Roger McGuinn from the Byrds , spawning in the process two of the best country hits never to hit number one in Nashville: "The Night's Too Long" and "Passionate Kisses." Undaunted by the lack of airplay, she toured relentlessly over the next few years, and when she was finally ready, she released the beautiful, if dark, Sweet Old World. Williams’ perfectionism, her unwillingness to allow anything with her name on it to go out until she was completely satisfied, was a refreshing change of pace in an industry that spits out a...

EVERY BASTARD HAS HIS DAY! Tom Waits: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards (Anti, 2006) A. R EMEMBER when you were in school, there was always that kid who sat in the corner of the room, who never seemed to belong, who never participated in any of the class functions, who seemed aloof – perhaps detached would be a better word. He looked weird, as though someone forget to dress him properly in the morning. His grades were good, his attendance record above average, but there was just something about the guy that prevented you from getting to know him. Even the bullies would keep their distance. Then someone would crack a joke and from the corner of the room you’d hear a snicker – a half-muted laugh - from the guy. He was paying attention after all, he heard every word that was being spoken; he just chose that precise moment to chime in with his own two cents. For 33 years now Tom Waits has been that kid in the corner of the room. The weird outcast who just didn’t seem to belon...

AT LAST, 2006 COMPLETE - FOR NOW! WHERE IS THE PAZZ AND JOP SURVEY WHEN YOU NEED IT? 1. Bob Dylan: Modern Times (Columbia) 2. Ghostface Killah: Fishscale (Def Jam) 3. The Klezmatics: Wonder Wheel (JMG) 4. Tom Waits: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards (Anti) 5. Rosanne Cash: Black Cadillac (Capitol) 6. Ornette Coleman: Sound Grammar (Sound Grammar) 7. The Streets: The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (Vice/Atlantic) 8. Joanna Newsom: Ys (Drag City) 9. Outkast: Idlewild (LeFace) 10. Todd Snider: The Devil You Know (New Door) 11. Maria Muldaur: Heart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan (Telarc) 12. The Coup: Pick a Bigger Weapon (Epitaph) 13. Dr. John: Right Place, Right Time (Hyenna) 14. Wussy: Funeral Dress (Shake It) 15. Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars: Carnival Conspiracy (Piranha) 16. The Gothic Archies: The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events (Nonesuch) 17. Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury (Zomba/Star Trek/Re-Up Ga...