Randy Newman's Harps and Angels has already garnered acclaim from critics across North America and Europe, and new praise now comes from The Australian, which calls him "the crown prince" of his musical form, the new album "testimony to his craft," and its songs "so vibrant, musically and lyrically, ... that his catalogue would seem incomplete without them." All About Jazz says the new album shows that Randy "just keeps on getting better," and Paste calls him "one of America’s most important songwriters," while Slate credits the "uproarious" song "Korean Parents" with offering "a more enjoyable way forward" in the highly charged discussion of satire and race.
Randy Newman's Harps and Angels has already garnered acclaim from critics across North America and Europe since its release last month, and new praise now comes from the Southern Hemisphere with this weekend's featured review in The Australian.
"Few are the singer-songwriters of the past 40 years whose command of American musical forms is matched by their caustic wit, political savvy and droll observations on the minutiae of life," writes the paper's Iain Shedden. "Randy Newman is the crown prince of that and at 64 can rest comfortably on his throne, holding up Harps and Angels, his first album of new material in almost a decade, as testimony to his craft."
Shedden calls the songs on the new album "so vibrant, musically and lyrically, ... that his catalogue would seem incomplete without them." He concludes: "Harps and Angels is timeless quality songwriting delivered in world-weary fashion by a man who, clearly, is not tired of the world one bit."
Read the complete review at theaustralian.news.com.au.
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John Kelman at All About Jazz says, "it's nice to know that, with Harps and Angels, his pen is as sharp as ever." The release of the single "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country," in 2007, meant that "high expectations were set" for the new album, and it would seem that, for Kelman, they have been met.
The new album shows that Randy "just keeps on getting better," says Kelman. "If it takes nine years to come up with another gem like Harps and Angels," he continues, "then Newman should absolutely take all the time he needs.
Read the album review at allaboutjazz.com.
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Slate's Jeff Chang offers a few words in defense of one of the more contentious songs on the album, "Korean Parents." Chang calls the song "uproarious" and credits Randy with offering "a more enjoyable way forward" in the generally highly charged debate on the use of satirical humor in discussions of race. To read the article, visit slate.com.
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Paste magazine has a feature article on Randy, whom writer Nick Marino calls "one of America’s most important songwriters." Visit pastemagazine.com.
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