Mule Variations by Tom Waits (CD, May-1999, Epic Japan)

As with all of Tom Waits' best albums, the first time I heard Mule Variations I was left speechless, weepy, and jubillant all at the same time. This superb comeback CD -- released 6 years after his previous one -- finds Tom out in the country, spying on his reclusive neighbor, traveling by pony, celebrating the love of his life, and even barbecuing a pig, all with that glorious growly voice of his.

With his rich and poetic Americana-laden imagery, Waits is in rare form here. His lyrics, many deeply sentimental, are his finest in years. Frequently, he manages to perfectly evoke a time and place long gone. "I lived on nothing but dreams and train smoke, somehow my watch and chain got lost," he tells us on 'Pony,' detailing an old country wanderer's wayward life. In 'Cold Water,' a moving ode to the hobo lifestyle, he notes, "Some men are searchin for the Holy Grail, but there ain't nothin sweeter than ridin the rails." There are also several delirious, delightful moments where his deadpan, surreal sense of humor will make you burst out laughing, most notably on 'Chocolate Jesus,' where he waxes poetic about Christian candy while a renegade rooster crows in the background.

Marc Ribot - the brilliant axeman from 1985's Rain Dogs LP - makes a stunning return here; he and a stellar cast of jazz and blues musicians (including the inimitable John Hammond on harp) help create this album's very off-kilter bucolic atmosphere.

Tom Waits, all I have to say to you is "God bless your crooked little heart," as you sing to us in 'Hold On.' An American treasure, this man and his strange, deeply affecting music. Mule Variations is highly recommended.