Various Artists - Where The Willow And The Dogwood Grow: Words And Music Tom Waits And Kathleen Brennan (Ace Records)

Where The Willow And The Dogwood Grow gathers interpretations of Tom Waits songs, with words and music credited to Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan. The Ace Records collection features Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones, Los Lobos, Bob Seger, Marianne Faithfull, Norah Jones, and Johnny Cash. Highlights include Jersey Girl by Springsteen and Way Down In The Hole by The Blind Boys Of Alabama, alongside Seger’s faithful take on 16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six. The review praises the lineup for capturing the breadth and idiosyncrasy of Waits’s material, while noting the songwriter’s enduring strength.