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Epicurus.com - Harps & Angels
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List Price: $18.98
Our Price: $9.99
Your Save: $ 8.99 ( 47% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0075597998931
Label: Nonesuch
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Nonesuch
Release Date: 2008-08-05
Studio: Nonesuch
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Editorial Reviews:
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Randy Newman's first studio album of all new material in nearly a decade is, by turns, hilarious, poignant and scathingly satirical. Harps and Angels often has an easy going Crescent City feel, with Newman on piano fronting a small combo and revealing, as Rolling Stone put it after the Carnegie Hall show, his serious love and study of the New Orleans piano tradition.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Glad He's Back!
Comment: Not that Randy Newman hasn't been busy, but his 1st "pop" record in a while is a great one. "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" is brilliant. The lyrics hit hard but the tune makes you feel good somehow. "Potholes" and the opener "Harps and Angels" are classic Randy Newman. It has some earmarks of his soundtrack work but the songs all work together really well. Thank you Mr. Newman.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Randy brings a smile back
Comment: The sweet silliness of Randy Newman shines through this brilliant new record. With touching love songs of loss and reflection to the biting satire of the Hollywood elite and of course a little self kidding and social ribbing this record lays out a luxurious layer of sounds and lyrics which never fail to bring a warm smile to your heart.
Ten years is a long time to wait but the wait is over and for years I shall always hold this record dear. Hopefully we won't have to wait so long for another one but most of all lets hope there is another one or two left in him.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A sad and pathetic series of grunts from the disgruntled
Comment: What a waste of time! The only people stupid enough to listen to this garbage are the same '60's-fixated slobs who drool all over themselves as they wait in line (shivering with liberal angst) to hear this creep vomit all over our flag in concert. Move on, folks, the '60s are over and this guy still sucks.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Randy Newman in Top Form
Comment: Randy Newman has a truly iconoclastic style. If you appreciate it, it is terrific.
Harps and Angels shows that Newman has not lost his touch. In satire/parody his words and orchestrations make his points brilliantly and hilariosly. He mocks those who should be mocked, and is fair to others, though, as always, in a shockingly politically incorrect fashion.
His occasional ballads are thoughtful, touching love songs that tell stories and sound absolutely heatfelt.
The music is unique, but very accessible.
This is one CD that is well worth the money.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Randy Newman - Harps and Angels
Comment: Harps and Angels (2008, Nonesuch) Randy Newman's eighteenth studio album. ****
For a long time, Randy Newman has been quite the unorthodox singer-songwriter. While unique, his voice isn't as pretty as Elton John. While stimulating, his messages aren't as strong as Bob Dylan. During the 70's and 80's, Newman made a name for himself, with such tunes as "Short People" and "It's Money That Matters," among many others. And during these runs he was able to maintain a fair amount of critical acclaim. In the mid-90's, however, Newman transitioned and found strength in writing children's music, as he would write soundtracks for the renowned Pixar films. After all this, Newman has gone back to more of his roots in making Harps and Angels.
Everything here is very simple and presented in Newman's pre-electric blues and ragtime stylings. And his trademark vocals are still as enthralling (and at the same time, goofy) as they've ever been. But here Newman has gone back to making political observations. The difference being that instead of semi-firey blasts of songs like some of his work in the 80's, Newman has the "aw, shucks" approach; mainly, he presents himself as a simple guy who is telling it like he sees it. And it works. "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" finds Newman sarcastically comparing our government leaders to others of times past, saying how even though they're terrible, they're not nearly as bad as others in history. On comparing Bush and company to the Caesars, remarks "And one of 'em appointed his own horse Consul of the Empire/That's like Vice President or something/That's not a very good example, is it?"
He likens that to solve our education problems we should hire Korean parents for all students, who are "Strict but fair," that the rich are getting richer, and that we should all just smile in the faces of our leaders, as they wouldn't know how to respond. Newman is truly a master of songcraft, and all the tunes here are very delicate, and not all politically charged. "Potholes" is an amusing tale of wanting to forget embarrassing encounters, and "Feels Like Home" is the album's emotionally sweeping closer. While the dynamics are only lighthearted, it's still an album that's for sharing among friends, and Newman excellently portrays himself as the simple old-timer telling stories by the fire. A very welcome entry from an underrated performer. (Laugh and Be Happy, A Few Words in Defense of Our Country, Potholes)
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