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In recent years the only Newman music to appease the die hard aficionados have been several quality soundtracks and his amusing Faust oddity. One might have been forgiven therefor for thinking his days of releasing collections of his regular songs was regrettably over... not so. He's back with this offering called "Bad Love" released on the Dreamworks label. Produced by Michael Froom and Tchial Blake and mastered by Bob Ludwig who's name has been turning up on well received recordings for more decades than I've been on the planet. Tempting as it might be to say this is the best Newman album in a long time it wouldn't be true however, because unlike his peers, Newman has never made a weak album. This one is no exception. Indeed it's not too great a stretch to say Randy Newman is a song-writer without peers when it comes to placing quality over commerce. That's not to say that his albums have always been technically devastating in their production value - minor arrangement gremlins can be heard, on rare moments, on most of his recordings but because Randy Newman is such an outrageously good song-writer - he'd sound great even buried under even the most unforgiving production gaffs. Fortunately this album is in the best production tradition of his earlier recordings, and his performance on both piano and vocal dominate, which helps explain why when he performs live, sell out, concerts with just himself and a piano, he is invariably able to leave his audiences utterly beguiled and delighted The opening track on "Bad Love" however is a bit of a worrier, in its apparent lack of satirical bite and seeming mixed messages - the lull before the storm - Track two "Shame" grooves, as only a Newmanesque jewish blues can, with wonderful backing vocals and sublime lyrics to match. "I'm Dead But I Don't Know It" follows, with a successful satirical stab at aging rock stars: "Each Record that I'm making - Is like a record that I've made... only worse" underpinned by the intentionally clichéd rock riffing guitar and sent up further by the premature-ejaculative guitar solo of a million notes a second ... Fortunately the same 'past sell by' sentiment can't be said of this recording artist and if proof were needed, he follows this offering with two blinders - "Every Time It Rains" - in the tradition of "Real Emotional Girl" - a gorgeous, love lost, ballad, orated through one of his regular alter-egos, but nevertheless delivered with wonderful artistic courage in the blurring of the line, and then the thoroughly sensational "The Great Nations of Europe" - which leaves "Political Science", its only rival, in the dust and which will no doubt provide listening pleasure, sustenance and education for subversives for many generations to come. Go To Page: 1 2 |
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