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Rating: Released simultaneously with Blood Money in 2002, Tom Waits brings out a very unique album, almost a singularity in his career. While Blood Money is indeed a collection of new songs, Alice mainly gathers tracks already performed in public and composed for the theatrical play of the same name in 1992, far removed from the wild experiments of Bone Machine, which was released shortly thereafter. In short, for the most skeptical, the premises suggested an album not among the most inspired: yet even here Tom Waits manages to produce a jewel absolutely worthy of his catalog.
Alice is a "genre" album, so to speak, as it is quite homogeneous in terms of colors and atmospheres (not surprisingly, fans of Waits’ ‘70s work disown the later albums but make an exception for this one). Indeed, many typical elements of early Waits return, such as the strong underlying melancholy that permeates the entire record, frequent flirtations with jazzy sounds, and asymmetrical and hallucinatory waltzes; however, everything reappears in a new light and with new attributes, first among which is a vocal performance that is undoubtedly among the best and most inspired of his last ten albums. The rest is done by the always superb musicians (notably featuring former Police member Stewart Copeland in Table Top Joe) and a great dose of craftsmanship that manages to illuminate even the less successful tracks.
More than in any other album since Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits here indulges in looking back, putting his visionary, experimental, and avant-garde demon a little to rest to give space to the melancholy and ballads of the past, this time for virtually an entire album.
Alice is certainly the highlight of the album and stands out for its intensity and pathos (for those unfamiliar with it, the bootleg version from a few years earlier, which I personally find even more impactful, is an absolute must-recover), but the true hidden gem, in my opinion, is another: I’m still here, a very brief sketch that in less than two minutes says everything that needs to be said with touching delicacy and grace. An album to definitely recover.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Table Top Joe (03:15)
Well, my Mama didn't want me
On the day I was born
Born without a body
I got nothing but scorn
But I always loved music
All I had was my hands
And I dreamed I'd be famous
And I'd work at the Sands
Singing Tabletop Joe
Tabletop Joe
Now everyone knows
That I'm Tabletop Joe
I had trouble with the pedals
But I had a strong left hand
And I could play Stravinsky
On a baby grand
I said I'm gonna join the circus
Cause that's where I belong
So I went to Coney Island
I was singing this song
Tabletop Joe
Tabletop Joe
Now everyone knows
Tabletop Joe
They gave me top billing
In the Dreamland show
I had my own orchestra
Starring Tabletop Joe
And the man without a body
Proved everyone wrong
I was rich and I was famous
I was where I belonged
Tabletop Joe
Tabletop Joe
Now everyone knows
Tabletop Joe
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By instant karma
Tom Waits pierces your heart when you least expect it.
These are songs for the theater, and of course, the musicality that Tom Waits knows how to express.
