I'm listening to a collection I downloaded from Emusic awhile ago: The Early Years Volume 2, Tom Waits

Anyone who thinks he can't be melodic should definitely hear this. He's famous for the fact of sounding like a singer who has had far too many cigarrettes and whisky. He often sounds like a barely alive critter, a wailing banshee. I think these recordings were from before he achieved that state.

You may be asking, "Jeff, what does this have to do with jazz?" Well, Holly Cole recorded a fantastic album of covers of his songs, Temptation.

Tags: Emusic, Tom Waits, Holly Cole.