Tom Waits does Christmas

And it's what you'd expect.

[Blue Valentine sees] a broadening of subject matter, a narrative discipline that makes most of the tunes story songs, and a coherent framing for Waits' typically colorful and intriguing imagery. These are not radical reinventions, but Waits had followed such a rigidly stylized approach on his previous albums that for anyone who had followed him so far, the course correction was big news.

Tom Waits' stuff is amazing. Not only are his songs auditory Experiences (capital E), they're also like short stories, with rising and falling action, characters, and vibrant details-- the lyrics beg to be read along with the song so that you can catch everything.

• Tom Waits' Blue Valentine
• "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" [mp3]
• Buy Used/New