Most people my age probably know Randy Newman best for his unforgettable songs from the film Toy Story (or maybe during the brutal representation of him in the Y2K episode of Family Guy). I was once in the same boat as well, that is until I gave a listen to his albums Sail Away and 12 Songs from the beginning of his career in the early '70s, now both commonly considered to be classics in modern singer songwriting history. At surface level, these albums are simply collections of New Orleans-based rhythm and blues delivered through Newman’s trademark, sloppy vocals and lighthearted piano playing. The songs on these albums were often light-hearted affairs, including a range of fantastic characters including the Yellow Man and Simon Smith, who was accompanied by his amazing dancing bear.
However, what Newman is most admired for is his ability to subtly mix in bitingly satirical commentary into much of his seemingly innocent material. For example, while the happy-go-lucky “Political Science” at first glance seems like a bouncy, jovial tune, we soon realize that he uses the song to essentially petition the dropping of atomic bombs on various areas of the world (but don’t worry, he doesn't want to hurt the kangaroos in Australia). It is this undercurrent of cynicism and comical attacks on society that set Newman apart from many of his contemporaries.
Now, over 35 years have passed since Sail Away and Newman has released an album just as bewildering and fantastic as anything he’s ever put out. Harps and Angels brings back all of the elements that made his past classics so cherished and more. First of all I have to mention how stunningly similar voice sounds at 64 compared to when he was 28. While he has always had a distinctive, more elderly sounding voice than appropriate for his age, it has never seemed more appropriate than now. The sincerity of his voice and the frailty that older age brings gives even more weight to ballads like “Losing You” and “Feels Like Home”.
There's also a whole grab-bag of wild, lively songs that are just, plain fun to sit back and enjoy. While “Laugh and Be Happy” sounds like it came straight out of a classic Disney movie (think bluebirds chirping, singing sunflowers, and rolling green hills), there are also fascinating stream-of-consciousness tracks that sound like a rambling Abe Simpson that we actually want to keep listening to. “A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country” is a hilarious rebuttal towards people all over the world that constantly accuse America’s horrific leadership under Bush by citing even worse terrors invoked by other political leaders of the past (Hitler, Stalin, etc.).
While Newman is adhering closely to his past success formula, Harps and Angels is even richer than past efforts in terms of instrumentation and backing vocals. Songs like “A Piece of the Pie” and “Korean Parents” exemplify this best, with a whole range of fascinating sonic flourishes popping up and decorating the space around Randy's piano. Instrumentation varying from blaring horns to light woodwinds to accompanying strings, creating a lush and often intriguing atmosphere of sound.
With Harps and Angels, Newman has not just added a cherry to the top of a legendary and influential career, but rather added substantially to the base of his portfolio, creating an even more firmly standing body of work. There truly is not a single bad song on this album, however this isn’t necessarily saying that it’s a perfect album either (as some songs could have been a bit less long-winded). Nonetheless it's an album that, once you've adapted to his style, can become a wonder to listen to from beginning to end. Now at age 64 (with his 65th birthday arriving at the end of the month), we cannot help but predict that this may be one of the final efforts of Newman's lengthy career, and what better way to end a long, wonderful musical journey than with a group of compositions that is both touching and hilarious, both cynical and hopeful, and alternates from wildly eclectic and beautifully bare with startling results.
Key Tracks:
Harps and Angels
Laugh And Be Happy
Feels Like Home
Final Verdict: 9.1
Randy Newman - Laugh and Be Happy
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