Tom Morello Turns Tom Waits Classic Into Pop-Rock Hymn With X Ambassadors
Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello teams with pop songsters X Ambassadors on a strummy, soulful version of singer Tom Waits' gritty 1999 pean "Come On Up to the House."
The rendition replete with gospel choir represents one-half of Morello's new Spotify Singles release that emerged on Wednesday (March 16).
The Waits cover is essentially the B-side. The single's lead number is a version of Morello's "Raising Hell" with singer-songwriter Ben Harper. The joint tune first appeared on Morello's third collaborative album, The Atlas Underground Flood, issued last year.
Listen to both tracks near the bottom of this post.
"Come On Up to the House" is from Waits' 1999 Mule Variations album and has since become a signature cut for the gravelly-voiced music icon. Morello's The Atlas Underground Flood also features the Rage rocker's collab song with Rush’s Alex Lifeson and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. In 2021, Morello dropped the album's counterpart, The Atlas Underground Fire.
Last week, Morello said supremacists who liked Rage weren't intelligent enough to know what the band's music signified. The guitarist has outlined his socialist political drive throughout his career, starting with his contributions to the activist rap-rock band in the 1990s. Last year, he spoke out against the U.S. Capitol attack, refuted racist stereotypes and supported refugees.
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