Americana

M. Ward is one of those special artists that can adapt to a wide variety of styles and somehow keep his sound distinctive and personal. "Transistor Radio," from 2005, is rooted deeply in country music. However, this album is not pop wrapped in acoustic guitars and southern accents like most of what passes for country today. "Transistor Radio" draws on a country style that made the genre so beloved through the early and mid twentieth century.

Iron and Wine is a special group. Sam Beam, who is the band, makes soft dreamy music, and sings in almost a whisper above it. This is country music, in the true sense. Beam's music is evocative of the south, and when listening to his lyrics, one hears many southern gothic references. Some are even direct, as in, "Sodom, South Georgia." That being said, the lyrics' meanings are not apparent or objective, nor are they meant to be. Beam's lyrics are very personal, and some of the songs are opaque in their meaning, like, "Teeth in the Grass." This does not mean he lacks lyrical direction.

Tom Waits is a master of American music. Throughout his career, he has made songs that range from jazz to rock to country, even to vaudeville and sideshow music. On his CD, "Real Gone," he tries his hand at another form of American music, hip-hop. What this means is that as usual, Waits is experimenting. Waits's eagerness to try new things is one of the traits which has gained him respect among other musicians over the years, so when he produces an album which isn't an A+, no one holds it against him. Being weird is hard.

Tom Waits is nothing if not an American performer. As one listens to his music, one gets a sense of American music from the turn of the century to today. His repertoire includes Jazz, Spanish flavor music, Sideshow, Vaudeville and Burlesque music, and more traditional country and rock 'n' roll music. On "Rain Dogs," we get to here him perform all these things exceedingly well. The album opens with "Singapore," a bizarre rollicking tune concerning sailors on shore leave, a popular theme with Waits.