Boring as Me?

Am I the only one left cold by Tom Waits' late 2011 album Bad As Me?

I picked it up over the holidays (with cash money, no less), because it was Blurt's #1 pick, and expected it to be at least interesting. But, god, I could hardly get through it four times without wincing...Waits' oddball persona gets pushed to caricature on the "good" songs ("Chicago", "Bad As Me", "Satisfied", "Hell Broke Luce") and seems thin and flat and hollow on the slower, ballad-y ones ("Kiss Me", "Last Leaf", "New Year's Eve"). I don't see how anyone could pick this as #1 for 2011, unless they had given up on anything new or interesting ever happening again.

Of course, there are lots of people who have. We call them babyboomers.

For the record, I really liked Get Behind the Mule and Swordfish Trombones, but am not a huge, historic, buy-every-album Waits fan.

Maybe you'll like this more than I do.

Got room in your head for one more list?

Blurt's is up today...Waits won.

See it here.

Writers' list tomorrow.