.Blue Valentine' is a big step forward compared to Tom Waits' previous albums. He swap his piano for a guitar and becomes more and more brutal, the eponymous title of the album is precisely a fine example. Waits is in the middle of the transition! We discover a superb orchestrated performance of Gershwin's' Somewhere 'as well as the magnificent piano ballad, 'Kentucky Ave.' It is also the record that contains one of Waits' most popular songs, 'Christmas Card from A Hooker in Minneapolis'.