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Editorial Review:
Randy Newman lives an intriguing kind of double life. On the one hand he writes soaring, sentimental soundtracks for movies like Monsters Inc, Meet The Parents and Toy Story II; on the other he’s known as a cult musical satirist; a writer of albums known for their scathing, biting wit and anti-establishment stance. Harps & Angels is his first such outing since 1999’s Bad Love. It covers much of the same musical ground as most of his solo work--Dixieland swing, waltzing blues, Tom Waits-esque piano ballads and the occasional showtune--and though he’s now in his mid-60s, Newman appears to be as lyrically acerbic as he ever was. This time he trains his guns on post 9/11 America, poking fun at life in ‘the richest country in the world’ on “A Piece of the Pie,” and paying the Bush administration some backhanded compliments by comparing them (favourably) to Stalin, Hitler, Caesar and the Spanish Inquisition on the lilting country tune “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country”. The carnivalesque “Laugh and Be Happy” and the oriental pop of “Korean Parents” see Newman on quirky, upbeat form, while ballads such as “Losing You,” and “Feels Like Home” (a new version of an old classic) reveal a more sentimental side. Harps & Angels may not be as barbed and visceral as older material, but it has enough venom and humour to create some first class musical entertainment.--Danny McKenna
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Genius Music for grown-ups You can't dance to it, it isn't remotely cool and it's by a man in his sixties with a strained, nasally voice. And it's great. After four decades of writing and releasing music - albeit with some extended intervals - this new album stands to be compared favourably with the best Newman has ever produced. In songwriting terms, "genius" is a much overused and devalued expression, regularly applied these days to anyone who can muster three basic chords along with a grasp of kindergarten English. In... more info
Short and sweet I had to buy this new album as he's bound to play some of the songs at his only gig at the Royal Festival Hall in the UK in November. As always with Randy Newman theres a lot thats worth listening to here. On first listen its not an easy album to get to grips with. The orchestrations and arrangements (by RN) are full-on and to some degree make it difficult to listen to the all important lyrics. However after that first listen you will be caught up in the strange world of Randy Newman, and the arrangements... more info
Some Good Stuff Haven't got to grips entirely with this new CD and I'm not sure if it's up there with Randy Newman's best ( which for me includes 12 Songs and Land of Dreams)but I'm not complaining! I thought Only a Girl may have been John Sebastian (erstwhile of the Lovin Spoonfull) re-constituted in older age and is a memorable jaunty cleverly worded song. One of the best songs on the CD. Potholes starts off superbly well but I'm not so sure about the storyline part re american football. Laugh and be Happy - a great song... more info
Prowling his constituency again..... Randy's back...prowling his constituency with laser wit, astringency and poignancy; delivering three minute vignettes of the present American landscape that make you wince, laugh and cry. A master craftsman in iron control of his material. With Randy back it certainly "Feels like Home."
