Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards [Digipak] (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Tom Waits (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion); Dave Alvin, Joe Gore, Larry LaLonde, Marc Ribot, Ron Hacker, Brett Gurewitz (guitar); Anges Amar (whistle); John Hammond , Charlie Musselwhite (harmonica); Ralph Carney (saxophone); Seth Ford Young, Larry Taylor , Les Claypool (bass instrument); Casey Waits (drums); Bobby Baloo (cowbells); Gino Robair, Jeff Sloan, Stephen Hodges, Steve Foreman, Andrew Borger, Brain (percussion).

A veritable godsend for Tom Waits fans (and a fun place for the uninitiated to plunge in feet first), ORPHANS is a 3-disc, 54-track set that brings together previously unheard material from various stages of Waits's career. The songs are grouped by style. The first disc, BRAWLERS, contains raucous stomps and uptempo jams, the second disc, BAWLERS, is full of lyrical balladry, and the third, BASTARDS, is a hodge-podge of experimental tunes and covers. Many of the songs are outtakes from studio albums, while others are the results of outside projects or one-off oddities.

Waits's unique sensibility is in full flower throughout the set: his gruff croon, barks, and howls; the insistent clanking of strange percussion; and his evocative, detail-rich lyrics are all on ample display. From the spooky rave-up of "Lie to Me" through the heartrending beauty of "Shiny Things" and the familiar strains of "Goodnight Irene," to his off-kilter cover of Daniel Johnston's "King Kong," ORPHANS is packed with spectacular surprises. Add beautiful packaging and a lyric book complete with rare photos, and ORPHANS becomes another must-have document from one of music's most imaginative and consistently enjoyable artists. minimize