tom waits - closing time

.:: It starts with a sunrise, it ends with "one star shining," and in between Closing Time contains an honest year's worth (1973, to be exact) of sweet, melodic, vintage Tom Waits--minus some of the vocal growl and thematic grit of his later stuff (but you can see it coming). Waltzes, lullabies, blues, jazz, you name it. Driving songs and drinking songs, even an honest to gosh country tune: "Rosie." There are torchers ("Lonely"), scorchers ("Ice Cream Man"), and back-porch senior citizen love songs ("Martha"): "Those were the days of roses/Poetry and prose, and/Martha, all I had was you and all you had was me." Other standouts are "I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You" (guess what--he does!) and "Grapefruit Moon," in which Waits croons: "Every time I hear that melody, something breaks inside." Hang on to your hearts and hats, folks. --Dan Leone

.:: Prodigioso en su melancólica sensibilidad y hermoso en su edificación melódica, este reflexivo, tranquilo y agridulce trabajo, el primero de Tom Waits, se conserva como uno de los mejores del cantautor de Pomona. Con una superficie netamente jazzística, Waits destripa con serenidad y desde posturas acústicas, englobadas también en travesías folk y country, un cúmulo de adustas emociones condensadas en hermosas y sobrecogedoras piezas acariciadas por un bello y lastimero sonido de piano.

Las agitaciones sensitivas destiladas por sus mejores temas, "I hope that I don't fall in love with you", "Rosie", "Lonely", "Ice Cream Man", "Grapefruit moon", el instrumental "Closing Time" y sobre todo, esas joyas de incalculable valor compositivo tituladas "Ol'55" y "Martha" (maravilloso relato sobre la nostálgica conversación telefónica entre dos antiguos y maduros amantes), nos pondrán al borde del éxtasis o desamparo afectivo gracias a las historias creadas por Waits y a la perceptiva ejecución de este maestro.

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