Our friends at LaundroMatinee recorded a good one. It’s the Young Republic covering Tom Waits’ 1999 barnburner “Chocolate Jesus.” The Nashville quintet has been compared to the reclusive songwriter before, so the selection makes sense. However, being compared to an artist as eclectic as Waits doesn’t necessarily tell you much. It could mean they sound like Frank Sinatra, Howlin’ Wolf, or Captain Beefheart (R.I.P.), so we’ll modify by saying they’re like the delta-blues Tom Waits of “Murder in the Red Barn.” No banging two-by-fours into dumpsters here. Continue reading »