By Chris Moore:
Just in the nick of time, here I am for my very first true Laptop Session of 2011… and with a whole seven hours to spare! This year, I’ve been busy and my attention has been directed elsewhere: to my long-overdue album, The 2010 Project, and to coursework toward my graduate degree, to name a couple of the largest commitments that have kept me away from the blog. I’ve even been behind in my duty as resident music reviewer, though I’ve begun to make good on that this past week, and I’m looking forward to the end of the year “best of” lists (already being compiled!).
It dawned on me this morning, as I was working on writing reviews, that there is actually a brand new song this year called “New Year’s Eve” and that it would be a shame to pass on that opportunity, particularly in a year when I have only recorded Original Wednesday music video performances.
So, I give you “New Year’s Eve,” the closing track off Tom Wait’s excellent 2011 album Bad As Me. This is the first album — and I’ve listened to a range of his music — that has instantly captivated me, both lyrically and musically. There are some cool, if subtly handled, guest performances, including Keith Richards and Red Hot Chili Pepper bassist Flea on several tracks, as well as the lesser known Augie Meyers. Meyers, best known to this Dylan fan for his work on 2001’s Love & Theft, contributes vox organ, piano, and accordion across Bad As Me, adding to its beautifully textured feel, one not entirely dissimilar to the aural sensibilities of Dylan’s own masterpiece.
It’s a beautiful, haunting track, and (somehow) the first Tom Waits cover ever done here at the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover song blog. I figured, if we’re going to maintain our reputation as the best one of its kind in the universe, I’d better, with a respectful nod, add a Tom Waits notch to our belts. He is, to say the least, a brilliant songwriter, truly inimitable, yet isn’t that one of the goals of this site: to interpret our favorite artists, and to stretch our own abilities and perspectives with their best songs? I’ve always thought of this site in that way, and I must say that the hour and a half I spent with “New Year’s Eve” today was among the most relaxing hours spent alone of my week off.
The first Tom Waits Laptop Session. My first cover song music video of the old year. The eve of the new year.
Quite a moment.
I wish you and yours a safe and relaxing New Year’s Eve; I hope you enjoy this song and that you’ll stop back soon for all the new material headed your way in 2012.
See you next session (hopefully that’ll be in less than a year)!