RANDY NEWMAN
''HARPS AND ANGELS''
AUG 2008
NONESUCH
34:47
DOWNLOAD
1/Harps and Angels/Newman/5:07
2/Losing You/Newman/2:42
3/Laugh and Be Happy/Newman/2:19
4/A Few Words in Defense of Our Country/Newman/4:14
5/A Piece of the Pie/Newman/2:42
6/Easy Street/Newman/3:14
7/Korean Parents/Newman/3:26
8/Only a Girl/Newman/2:44
9/Potholes/Newman/3:42
10/Feels Like Home/Newman/4:37
Mark Adams/Horn
Eun Mee Ahn/Violin
Allison Allport/Harp
Robert Berg/Viola
William Booth/Trombone
Gary Bovyer/Clarinet
Thomas Boyd/Oboe
Jacqueline Brand/Violin
Carmen Carter/Vocals (Background)
Greg Cohen/Bass, Guitar (Bass)
Kevin Connolly/Violin
Antony Cooke/Cello
Tim Davis/Vocals (Background)
Sandy De Crescent/Orchestra Contractor
Brian Dembow/Viola
Drew Dembowski/Bass
Joel Derouin/Violin
Thomas Dienner/Viola
Steve Donnelly/Guitar
Stephen Erdody/Cello
Christine Ermacoff/Cello
Alan Estes/Percussion
Judith Farmer/Bassoon
Daniel Fornero/Trumpet
Donald Foster/Clarinet
Gary Foster/Saxophone
Bruce Fowler/Trombone
Mitchell Froom/Keyboards
Gregory Goodall/Percussion
Steven Gordon/Viola
Dan Higgins/Saxophone
Greg Huckins/Saxophone
Luana Jackman/Vocal Conductor, Vocals (Background)
Steve Jackson/Vocals (Background)
Dennis Karmazyn/Cello
Roland Kato/Viola
Marty Krystall/Clarinet
Armen Ksadjikian/Cello
Natalie Leggett/Violin
Greg Leisz/Pedal Steel, Slide Guitar
Jon Lewis/Trumpet
Bill Liston/Saxophone
Rick Logan/Vocals (Background)
Warren Luening/Trumpet
Frank Marocco/Accordion
Darrin McCann/Viola
Malcolm McNab/Trumpet
Edward Meares/Bass
Victoria Miskolszy/Viola
Tim Morrison/Trumpet
Norda Mullen/Flute
Kenneth E. Munday/Bassoon
Randy Newman/Arranger, Conductor, Orchestral Arrangements, Piano, Vocals
Helen Nightengale/Violin
Michael Nowak/Viola
Michael O'Donovan/Bassoon
Alyssa Park/Violin
Sara Parkins/Violin
Katia Popov/Violin
Shanti Randall/Viola
Susan Ranney/Bass
Leslie Reed/Oboe
William Reichenbach/Trombone
Rafael Rishik/Violin
Anatoly Rosinsky/Violin
Geri Rotella/Flute
Mark Sazer/Violin
Brian Scanlon/Saxophone
Fletcher Sheridan/Vocals (Background)
David Shostac/Flute
Andrew Shulman/Cello
David Speltz/Cello
Tereza Stanislav/Violin
Lisa M. Sutton/Violin
George Thatcher/Trombone
Jim Thatcher/Horn
Pete Thomas/Drums
Sarah Thornblade/Violin
Doug Tornquist/Tuba
Cecilia Tsan/Cello
Michael Valerio/Bass
Irina Voloshina/Violin
James Walker/Flute
Dave Walther/Viola
Oren Waters/Vocals (Background)
Roger Wilkie/Violin
Terry Wood/Vocals (Background)
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Randy Newman always came across as an old crank even when he was an angry young man, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's flourishing as an old curmudgeon. Flourishing might seem to be an odd word to apply to an artist whose output slowed to a trickle after the release of 1988's Land of Dreams, but 1999's Bad Love found him reconnecting to his core strengths and its 2008 sequel, Harps and Angels, is its equal -- a lean, uncluttered, viciously funny collection of rolling New Orleans shuffles, movie musical moments, and the occasional tender love song. In many ways, Harps and Angels is a continuation of Bad Love, as it has a similar stripped-down production and many of the same lyrical themes, as Newman still is singing about America and aging, just as he was almost a decade earlier. This isn't stasis, this is consistency, as Newman has always relied on his misanthropic wit just as he's always relied on his love for Fats Domino and old Hollywood scores, and this familiar musical bed helps the new wrinkles stand out, whether it's the symphonic stabs that punctuate the near-death experience on the title track or using Jackson Browne as a punch line on "A Piece of the Pie." While its unadorned sound could be seen as a throwback to the early '70s -- especially with rollicking numbers like "Only a Girl" and "Potholes" recalling how 12 Songs could skip lightly -- Harps and Angels is quite explicitly an album of its time, as Newman confronts the age of George W. Bush directly with the merciless "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" and "A Piece of the Pie," where he points out if you're "living in the richest country in the world/Wouldn't you think you'd have a better life?" In this context, Newman's heavy reliance on loping New Orleans rhythms almost seems like a defiant expression of solidarity with the Crescent City in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but that's probably reading a little bit too much into it, as these bluesy shuffles are Newman's greatest comfort zone, the place where his slurred singing sounds just right and where his sardonic jokes richly resonate. It's his signature sound and Harps and Angels captures it sublimely, as the production -- a co-credit to Newman's longtime associate Lenny Waronker and his latter-day producer Mitchell Froom -- has no fancy accoutrements and he's written another set of quietly wonderful songs, ranging from the brutal satire of "Korean Parents" to the gentle, lovely "Feels Like Home." These days he may take his time writing songs, but when he delivers two albums as excellent as Bad Love and Harps and Angels back to back, it's hard to call it anything besides flourishing.
''HARPS AND ANGELS''
AUG 2008
NONESUCH
34:47
DOWNLOAD
1/Harps and Angels/Newman/5:07
2/Losing You/Newman/2:42
3/Laugh and Be Happy/Newman/2:19
4/A Few Words in Defense of Our Country/Newman/4:14
5/A Piece of the Pie/Newman/2:42
6/Easy Street/Newman/3:14
7/Korean Parents/Newman/3:26
8/Only a Girl/Newman/2:44
9/Potholes/Newman/3:42
10/Feels Like Home/Newman/4:37
Mark Adams/Horn
Eun Mee Ahn/Violin
Allison Allport/Harp
Robert Berg/Viola
William Booth/Trombone
Gary Bovyer/Clarinet
Thomas Boyd/Oboe
Jacqueline Brand/Violin
Carmen Carter/Vocals (Background)
Greg Cohen/Bass, Guitar (Bass)
Kevin Connolly/Violin
Antony Cooke/Cello
Tim Davis/Vocals (Background)
Sandy De Crescent/Orchestra Contractor
Brian Dembow/Viola
Drew Dembowski/Bass
Joel Derouin/Violin
Thomas Dienner/Viola
Steve Donnelly/Guitar
Stephen Erdody/Cello
Christine Ermacoff/Cello
Alan Estes/Percussion
Judith Farmer/Bassoon
Daniel Fornero/Trumpet
Donald Foster/Clarinet
Gary Foster/Saxophone
Bruce Fowler/Trombone
Mitchell Froom/Keyboards
Gregory Goodall/Percussion
Steven Gordon/Viola
Dan Higgins/Saxophone
Greg Huckins/Saxophone
Luana Jackman/Vocal Conductor, Vocals (Background)
Steve Jackson/Vocals (Background)
Dennis Karmazyn/Cello
Roland Kato/Viola
Marty Krystall/Clarinet
Armen Ksadjikian/Cello
Natalie Leggett/Violin
Greg Leisz/Pedal Steel, Slide Guitar
Jon Lewis/Trumpet
Bill Liston/Saxophone
Rick Logan/Vocals (Background)
Warren Luening/Trumpet
Frank Marocco/Accordion
Darrin McCann/Viola
Malcolm McNab/Trumpet
Edward Meares/Bass
Victoria Miskolszy/Viola
Tim Morrison/Trumpet
Norda Mullen/Flute
Kenneth E. Munday/Bassoon
Randy Newman/Arranger, Conductor, Orchestral Arrangements, Piano, Vocals
Helen Nightengale/Violin
Michael Nowak/Viola
Michael O'Donovan/Bassoon
Alyssa Park/Violin
Sara Parkins/Violin
Katia Popov/Violin
Shanti Randall/Viola
Susan Ranney/Bass
Leslie Reed/Oboe
William Reichenbach/Trombone
Rafael Rishik/Violin
Anatoly Rosinsky/Violin
Geri Rotella/Flute
Mark Sazer/Violin
Brian Scanlon/Saxophone
Fletcher Sheridan/Vocals (Background)
David Shostac/Flute
Andrew Shulman/Cello
David Speltz/Cello
Tereza Stanislav/Violin
Lisa M. Sutton/Violin
George Thatcher/Trombone
Jim Thatcher/Horn
Pete Thomas/Drums
Sarah Thornblade/Violin
Doug Tornquist/Tuba
Cecilia Tsan/Cello
Michael Valerio/Bass
Irina Voloshina/Violin
James Walker/Flute
Dave Walther/Viola
Oren Waters/Vocals (Background)
Roger Wilkie/Violin
Terry Wood/Vocals (Background)
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Randy Newman always came across as an old crank even when he was an angry young man, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's flourishing as an old curmudgeon. Flourishing might seem to be an odd word to apply to an artist whose output slowed to a trickle after the release of 1988's Land of Dreams, but 1999's Bad Love found him reconnecting to his core strengths and its 2008 sequel, Harps and Angels, is its equal -- a lean, uncluttered, viciously funny collection of rolling New Orleans shuffles, movie musical moments, and the occasional tender love song. In many ways, Harps and Angels is a continuation of Bad Love, as it has a similar stripped-down production and many of the same lyrical themes, as Newman still is singing about America and aging, just as he was almost a decade earlier. This isn't stasis, this is consistency, as Newman has always relied on his misanthropic wit just as he's always relied on his love for Fats Domino and old Hollywood scores, and this familiar musical bed helps the new wrinkles stand out, whether it's the symphonic stabs that punctuate the near-death experience on the title track or using Jackson Browne as a punch line on "A Piece of the Pie." While its unadorned sound could be seen as a throwback to the early '70s -- especially with rollicking numbers like "Only a Girl" and "Potholes" recalling how 12 Songs could skip lightly -- Harps and Angels is quite explicitly an album of its time, as Newman confronts the age of George W. Bush directly with the merciless "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" and "A Piece of the Pie," where he points out if you're "living in the richest country in the world/Wouldn't you think you'd have a better life?" In this context, Newman's heavy reliance on loping New Orleans rhythms almost seems like a defiant expression of solidarity with the Crescent City in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but that's probably reading a little bit too much into it, as these bluesy shuffles are Newman's greatest comfort zone, the place where his slurred singing sounds just right and where his sardonic jokes richly resonate. It's his signature sound and Harps and Angels captures it sublimely, as the production -- a co-credit to Newman's longtime associate Lenny Waronker and his latter-day producer Mitchell Froom -- has no fancy accoutrements and he's written another set of quietly wonderful songs, ranging from the brutal satire of "Korean Parents" to the gentle, lovely "Feels Like Home." These days he may take his time writing songs, but when he delivers two albums as excellent as Bad Love and Harps and Angels back to back, it's hard to call it anything besides flourishing.
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