Randy Newman
Harps and Angels
Nonesuch CD122812-2 (www.nonesuch.com)
Randy Newman has remained busy in the past decade, particularly in the soundtrack field, but Harps and Angels is his first solo album since 1999. That recording, Bad Love, was a finely crafted but somewhat lackluster effort. In contrast, Harps and Angels is an energetic affair, one of the songwriter’s best to date.
A crack orchestra and a bevy of A-list supporting musicians – Pete Thomas, Greg Leisz, Mitchell Froom, Greg Cohen – appear on the recording; Froom and Lenny Waronker produce. Newman’s orchestrations have always been excellent – he comes from a family of film composers after all – but the arrangements here crackle with vitality; so too do his satirical lyrics. “Laugh and Be Happy” turns jingoism on its head, eviscerating backward attitudes towards recent American immigrants. “A Few Words in Defense of our Country” goes further, rivaling Newman’s best previous political commentary with a scathing assessment of the Bush administration, the Supreme Court, and the “War on Terror.” “Korean Parents” is a zany faux commercial, advertising a way to invest “American kids” with a recipe for overachievement.
Amidst all the sardonic wit are moments of exquisite beauty. “Feels like Home” is a case in point; an earnestly lyrical ballad, it proves all the more touching and vulnerable in the context of Newman’s otherwise jaundiced worldview.
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Hey Christian,
Nice review, fun to read. Why did you put it in Blogger Updates and not in CD reviews?
Hi Davy. File Under ?, since its inception over at Splendid Magazine, has always combined reviews, Op-Ed, interviews, and announcements. But I also contribute to the review section on S21 and the front page. Randy seemed to ‘fit’ better over here among the eclectic.
Best,
C