Randy Newman - Harps and Angels

Most people my age might not know who Randy Newman is; I'd be willing to bet that the majority who do know him would sing a quick line from "You've Got a Friend In Me." Obviously, that song's fantastic. But that's not all this man's done. His career stretches decades, and he just released his first new album in almost ten years, Harps and Angels. It's a 10 song collection of Newman's newest material, seven new songs, and three previously heard songs that have been rerecorded. While "You've Got a Friend In Me" will far from summarize his career, it may go farther than I thought to demonstrate his style.

Randy Newman is a piano player, but he's also a composer, a singer, and a lyricist. And as far as I can tell, he's very good at each of those roles. Alright, maybe he's not the best singer, but he can carry a tune. That bluesy swing that "You've Got a Friend In Me" caught me so off-guard with as a child may be the defining note to Randy Newman. It's his style - bluesy piano, with lush backing instrumentation, (strings, horns, guitar, harps, woodwinds, voices, etc) while he conversationally and casually talks you through each song. I can definitely appreciate that in an age where screaming is the new singing. His narrative lyrical style as as big a part of his formula as his music. His music harkens back to an earlier time when it sounded fun, even if the song wasn't necessarily happy. It almost has a ragtime feel to it, which would make sense, considering he scored a movie entitled "Ragtime." Sure, some of the songs start to sound the same, but they're far removed from the world of music today, which is refreshing. Newman's lyrics and music are surprisingly personal, too, which makes the experience more interesting.

In the opening song, "Harps and Angels," Newman tells a story about his experience with the Epstein-Barr virus, which, according to the title and content of the song, must've done a number on him. At the end of the song, he declares "There really is an afterlife, I hope to see all of you there." The obligatory patriotic country song is there in full force, in the form of "A Few Words In Defense of Our Country," where Newman calls America an empire, falling just like the ones before it. A bit of a scary thing to think about. Interestingly, he had the lyrics to this song (being one of the previously heard three) published as an op-ed piece in the New York Times. "Easy Street" is a relaxing song that progresses at the pace of a slow walk down, well, an easy street. "Korean Parents" is a wonderfully stereotypically asian song, apparently about how much better off we'd all be if we all had Korean parents, because "they'll be strict but they'll be fair." "Only a Girl" finds him singing the praises of a young girl who has a lot going for her, works a few jobs, volunteers, and "will eat you alive." As the song draws near an end, he declares he loves her to a friend over the phone. By the end of the song, he comes to a realization: "Why would someone youthful as she love someone old like me? Maybe it's the money... ," and the song ends on a humorous note. "Potholes" finds Newman romping through old memories, starting out saying "God bless the potholes down on memory lane," but ending up declaring "Hope some real big ones open up, take some of the memories that do remain."

Listening to Harps and Angels, one thing is abundantly clear: Randy Newman has personality to spare. It's rare for a person's personality to shine through in their music to this extent, but I think Newman's music has sort of intertwined with his very being, becoming as much a part of him as Batman is to Bruce Wayne. It's fascinating to listen to Newman's lyrical style because it's so different from what I'm used to hearing. This seems like a deeply personal album for Newman, which only pulls me further into the music. The way he tells his stories - he's so good at it that you begin to feel his lyrics and the music begin to entrap you in a sort of snow-globe, words and emotions swirling all around you. There may not be excess of "You've Got a Friend In Me" catchy moments on this cd, but it's definitely a solid collection of songs that warrants a few listens.

4/7