Randy Newman Returns With An Album For Our Times
"Harps And Angels" Captures the Mood of Contemporary America
Oct 31, 2008 Michael Irvin Arrington
Randy Newman may be best known for a cute, humorous tune about the vertically challenged. After all, who hasn't had a good chuckle while singing along to "Short People"?
However, to dismiss Newman's body of work as anything less than the catalogue of an insightful artist is to do him a great disservice. As his newest CD, Harps and Angels, illustrates, Newman's considerable skill as a songwriter make him an ideal choice to compose a soundtrack album for the contemporary American everyman.
Love and Loss
It is in the areas of love (lost and found) that Harps and Angels excels. "Feels Like Home" should resonate with any listener who has experienced the euphoria of falling in love. "Something in your eyes / Makes me wanna lose myself / In your arms."
Likewise, those who have loved and lost will find a familiar sentiment in "Losing You." Newman's voice is far from perfect, but it is perfect for these two songs. The sincerity in his voice makes it clear that the lyrics emerged from his own experiences.
Social Critique
"I'd like to say a few words in defense of our country," Newman begins on one track. "A Few Words In Defense of Our Country" is a clever and humorous apologia for the ugly American that provide some perspective for those around the world who find fault with the country's international interventions.
"Korean Parents," one of the album's two funniest tracks, is satire at its finest. In a tune more suited for Broadway than mainstream radio, Newman offers Korean parents for sale to underachieving American children. (It's funnier than the premise sounds.)
Words for the Wise
Another strength of Harps and Angels lies in Newman's ability to shift smoothly from heavier to lighter themes, rather than overwhelming the listener with tales of woe. Amid a world of anti-American naysayers, he advises us to "Laugh and be Happy" rather than lose faith and drown in the sorrows that accompany bad economies, terrorism, and "Old Man Trouble" in general.
On "Potholes," arguably the disc's best track, Newman simultaneously reminds us of the value of memories and the importance of letting go. After recounting some memories he wishes he could forget, he pens one of the best lyrical metaphors in recent memory: "God bless the potholes down on memory lane."
Professor Arrington's Grade
It is a shame that Newman's stripped-down work is so incongruous with the sound of contemporary popular music because he has composed an album that is as timely as his work has ever been. This is not an album designed for radio airplay, but it a pleasant disc that balances catchy melodies, emotional lyrics, and just the right amount of humor. It is a bit uneven; two or three tracks seem to be little more than album filler. Nonetheless, the high points are high enough to make the listener overlook them -- and high enough to merit a B+.
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