Ol' 55
I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You
Virginia Avenue
Old Shoes & Picture Postcards
Midnight Lullaby
Martha
Rosie
Lonely
Ice Cream Man
Little Trip To Heaven On The Wings Of Your Love
Grapefruit Moon
Closing Time
Frogtoon Music Album Info: Closing Time
Published: 07 Jul 2010, 02:00
Tom Waits' Debut Album Is A Minor-Key Masterpiece Filled With Songs Of Late-Night Loneliness. Within The Apparently Narrow Range Of The Cocktail Bar Pianistics And Muttered Vocals Waits And Producer Jerry Yester Manage A Surprisingly Broad Collection Of Styles From The Jazzy "Virginia Avenue" To The Up-Tempo Funk Of "Ice Cream Man" And From The Acoustic Guitar Folkiness Of "I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You" To The Saloon Song "Midnight Lullaby " Which Would Have Been A Perfect Addition To The Repertoires Of Frank Sinatra Or Tony Bennett. Waits' Entire Musical Approach Is Stylized Of Course And At Times Derivative — "Lonely" Borrows A Little Too Much From Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going To Rain Today" — And His Lovelorn Lyrics Can Be Sentimental Without Being Penetrating. But He Also Has A Gift For Gently Rolling Pop Melodies And He Can Come Up With Striking Original Scenarios As On The Best Songs "Ol' 55" And "Martha " Which Yester Discreetly Augments With Strings. Closing Time Announces The Arrival Of A Talented Songwriter Whose Self-Conscious Melancholy Can Be Surprisingly Moving.