Tom Waits Real Gone [Digipak]

3 stars out of 5 - "The core of REAL GONE, actually, is gospel music flipped inside out - an unholy voice, singing about the conspicuous absence of divine mercy."
"[With] roadhouse guitar and scratchy bass...anchoring it all with his primal, bellowing tales of woe." - Grade: A-
Ranked #27 in Spin's "40 Best Albums of the Year"
"[T]he sometimes jaunty rhythms add tension to Waits' dark tales....The effect is often riveting..." - Grade: B+
3 stars out of 5 - "Waits is still taking more risks than most US' singer-songwriters' of his generation, and parts of this album rock righteously....One from the heart..."
Ranked #11 in Uncut's "Best New Albums of 2004" - "Scarily magnificent."
Ranked #1 in Magnet's "The 20 Best Albums Of 2004" - "REAL GONE is a great record because Waits' homesteader's heart drives it form intro to fadeout."
"This is classic Waits....It's certainly his most outwardly guileless and full-hearted record for some time..."
4 stars out of 5 - "As a songwriter and sound sculptor, Waits is intimately familiar with shadows and dread - the frank, poetic details of life and love on the margins....REAL GONE is his first, full-tilt protest record."