Amazon.co.uk 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
Guardain, July 2008
Slinky, bluesy piano work, witty, laconic, half-spoken vocals and a bitter-sweet story about mortality: it sounds like vintage Randy Newman, but it's actually a song from his new album, released early next month.
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