Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

Waits, a superb and eccentric singer-songwriter, can divide a room faster than a religious debate: some rave about his balladry; some can’t stand his vocalizations. Waits’ peculiar genius is in full roar on these 54 new and rare recordings, arranged thematically on a three-disc collection. Highlights include his theatrical cover of Kurt Weill’s “What Keeps Mankind Alive,” the torchy “Little Drop of Poison” and his highly political “Road to Peace,” a riveting account of a young suicide bomber’s attack on a Jerusalem bus.