“I’ll Be Gone” is a deep cut from that most Waitsian of Tom Waits albums, Franks Wild Years. The soundtrack to a play based on a song from an earlier album (his eighth), where Waits first established his infamous sound. Waits fully leans into this new persona and sound on the record, and “I’ll Be Gone” is a perfect example of this, with the cockcrow, the accordion, the angular guitar, the marimba and, of course, Waits himself.

Orquesta 24 Cuadros is a large Mexican group that has been releasing music since 2016. They blend genres with their unique lineup which incorporates a horn section and some string players. It’s natural for most bands covering Waits that they won’t slavishly follow his unique arrangements. There’s not much point as Waits’ style is so much his own but, on their new “I’ll Be Gone” cover, the Orquesta doesn’t completely stray, however, because there are horns here as there are on the original. Still, their approach in terms of both arrangement and tempo is quite idiosyncratic. Continue reading »