Tooth of Crime

These tunes were originally worked up for a production of Sam Shepard’s play of the same name and are scored accordingly — dark and grisly. From the opening notes of “Anything I Say Can And Will Be Used Against You,” it’s readily apparent that Burnett is headed down noir alley, with spidery electric guitars and lurching rhythms that recall Tom Waits tracing an ominous path. As a producer, Burnett has worked with many experienced craftsmen and he calls upon guitarist Marc Ribot, Greg Leisz, Jon Brion and drummer Jim Keltner to maintain his standard of excellence. Wife Sam Phillips adds her downcast vocals to a few of the album’s tracks, dueting for the southwestern-to-Caribbean flavored “Dope Island.” “Kill Zone” co-written many years ago with Roy Orbison and Bob Neuwirth is a haunting ballad that recalls Orbison’s lonesome melancholy. “The Slowdown” is nearly subliminal with its languid horns and trippy, staggered vocal effects. “The Rat Age,” “Swizzle Stick” and “Telepresence” work spoken word into a bizarre meltdown of sound effects and collapsing rhythms. Delightfully weird.

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T-Bone Burnett has recently catapulted into the peripheral public conscience thanks to his guru-like musical direction on Raising Sand, the brilliant...