Tom Waits
Foreign Affairs

THE REVIEW

In 1977, the singer-songwriter from Pomona had just released "Small Change," one of his most critically acclaimed albums, enhanced by the presence of legendary songs such as "Tom Traubert's Blues" and "The Piano Has Been Drinking," and decided to embark on the project to create "Foreign Affair," a record still dominated by the piano component but already showing timid signs of change in an atmosphere that is, as always, emotional and of high compositional quality, only indebted to a lesser stylistic variety compared to the albums to come and the exceptional peaks of "Rain Dogs," "Swordfishtrombones," and also "Real Gone." The presence of skilled instrumentalists further highlights the oratory skills of good Tom.

The instrumental intro "Cinny's Waltz" and its imperious finale are the perfect prelude to another song in which the waitsian voice tackles the theme of lost love, namely the touching "Muriel." The duet with Bette Midler in "I Never Talk to Strangers" reveals effectively how witty a text perfectly suited to an almost twilight ending that introduces a curious jazz medley in which the figures of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady are remembered, along with his Californian birth. His typical melancholic bar-songs return prominently in the magnificent "A Sight for Sore Eyes," which starts by following the notes of a traditional piece like "Auld Lang Syne." The almost nine minutes of "Potter's Field," boasting an excellent clarinet solo by Gene Cipriano, present some particular variations in their noir progress, and anticipate the great drama of the ending of "Burma-Shave" and the most unpredictable piece of the entire record, the beat-jazz of "Barber Shop."
To close the album, we find the title-track, a perfect corollary to the entire work characterized by majestic interplay between vocal and musical abilities and an imposing musical base at the end.

In conclusion, I consider this album the most neglected in Tom Waits' production, obviously considering the fact that it presents fewer edges compared to his other previous and subsequent albums, but it is fundamental to better understand what would become, starting from 'Blue Valentine,' a different approach to compositional needs.