Early press on Tom Waits' Orphans stellar across the UK!
UK PRESS STARRY-EYED OVER TOM WAITS’ ‘ORPHANS’: 5-STAR REVIEWS POURING IN WHILE U.S. PRESS FOLLOWS SUIT
‘LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN’ AND ‘DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART’ APPEARANCES ON TAP
With his new 3 CD set ORPHANS: BRAWLERS, BAWLERS AND BASTARDS on the verge of release (Nov. 21 on Anti-), the press is buzzing on both sides of the Atlantic about TOM WAITS.
In the U.K., 5-star reviews have become the norm for ORPHANS.
Crowning the set a “Mojo Instant Classic,” Mojo says, “Masterpiece isn't the right word for such a profusion of profound delights...exhibition is better…With his unfussy brushstrokes, umber hues, and humanely honest delight in warts and all, [Waits] is the Rembrandt of modern music.”
Uncut’s 5-star review revels in “the world of Waits’ Orphans,” noting that despite the diversity of ORPHANS’ material, “It’s remarkable, though, how much of a piece the entire set is, reflecting how skillfully Waits has welded the various tributary styles of his art into a seamless whole…For sure, there’s plenty that’s old and beautiful about these Orphans.”
“Homicidal insects, Bukowski and Henry Kissinger all get the Waits treatment on a baffling but superb 3-CD set,” reads another 5-star review from The Observer. “The only instrument that matters here, as ever, is that extraordinary voice.”
NME’s concise assessment is simply, “Genius.”
Stateside, meanwhile, ORPHANS is already #3 on CMJ’s Top 200 and AAA radio charts, #2 on CMJ’s Independent Only chart. The eagerly awaited 56-track collection has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, and has landed WAITS upcoming guest spots and performances on the Late Show With David Letterman (Monday, November 27) and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Tuesday, November 28).
Early word from American critics has matched the exuberance of the U.K. press. Rolling Stone calls Orphans “A definitive album,” the New York Post calls it a “‘must have’ recording,” and Harp is so enthralled with the set’s “delightful madness” that they’re already holding out “hope for a Volume 2.”
“How do you like your Tom Waits,” asks the Philadelphia Daily News in its A- review. “Jazzy, boppin’ and rockin’? Poignantly waltzing through time? Weirdly comical? All these aspects of his schizoid personality get plenty of time to separately shine (and occasionally overlap) on the triple-disc set Orphans.”
Even Reader’s Digest gets in on the act, naming ORPHANS to December’s “5 Things We Don’t Want You To Miss” list: “Raw-voiced iconoclast Tom Waits lets loose a batch of new tunes and rare gems that capture his love of American roots music.”
ORPHANS includes 30 new recordings, plus two dozen more songs taken from collaborations with artists in film, literature, and music – equaling over three hours of rare and never-before heard music – along with a 94-page letterpress booklet of lyrics and photos designed by Johnny Brewton.