'Foreign Affairs' takes up the jazz and poetry that Tom Waits explored on his previous albums and pushes them on a much more cinematic direction, foreshadowing the evolution of his work in the 1980s. The album opens on the instrumental 'Cinny Walz' and features new standards such as' Muriel 'and 'I Never Talk To Strangers' his dramatic duo with Bette Midler. 'Foreign Affairs' is by far Tom Waits's most ambitious album in terms of storytelling.