At age 49, Nick Cave is undergoing quite the artistic renaissance. If any of you out there saw the western that he penned called The Proposition starring Guy Pierce and Ray Winstone hopefully you saw what I did: a movie that was completely raw and invigorating, which gave westerns a real shot in the arm. Who knew that Cave could write screenplays? Someone should have seen it coming because Cave has been writing stories full of rich characters for over 20 years now, lyrics that seem more fleshed out than most songwriters could ever hope to imagine.

Just like The Proposition, Cave's new project Grinderman is a major shot in the arm but this time it's to his own musical career. Cave and three of his Bad Seed members (Warren Ellis of just as influential Dirty Three on Violin/Guitar, Martin P. Casey on bass and Jim Sclavunos on drums) have crafted an album that's as close to Cave's early 80's band The Birthday Party as he's ever gotten. Cave has even ditched his beloved piano on Grinderman for nothing but guitar and, trust me, the record is all the better for it.

Grinderman is essentially a Blues record that's been abrasively fuzzed out. Cave's subject matter here throughout is basically what most Blues records are about at their core: women that don't do right by their men and not getting enough . . . lovin'. The title of the first single "No Pussy Blues," pretty much cuts straight to the chase - a brutal and brutally funny track about a dude who is not getting nearly enough of the titular commodity. "Get It On" is also about that most carnal of acts and the way Cave spits and spouts his visceral lines about a gentleman who also enjoys partaking in the act that the fellow from track one is suffering from the lack of - again very intense and utterly hilarious. 10 of the 11 tracks here on Grinderman are ten of the finest tracks Cave has produced in over a decade and if you are like me and have been slightly disappointed by Cave's work in the last five years, this will give you new found hope as Grinderman will surely go down as one of the finest comeback albums and best records of 2007 period.