Randy Newman - Best of Randy Newman

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Music reviews of Best of Randy Newman

Music Review: Essential thinking-person's pop
Rating: 5 Stars

Another old favorite, "You've Got a Friend in Me" from the 1995 animated comedy Toy Story, shows his rare, sweet-and-playful side (although the movie itself fortunately transcends typical "kiddie fare"). "Mama Told Me Not to Come," which became a hit for Three Dog Night, is a wry comment on the hippie lifestyle; the laugh-out-loud funny "Rednecks" takes on, well, rednecks. "Take Me Back" and "Dixie Flyer" are semi-autobiographical charmers. "Political Science" is a disturbingly catchy ode to blowing up other countries ("Let's drop the big one, and see what happens"). "Little Criminals," "It's Money That I Love," and the seductive "You Can Leave Your Hat On" (which was made famous by Joe Cocker) are fun tracks, as well. He seems more at home with the ballads, though, which better showcase his classical-pop sensibilities. (He's also well-known for writing movie scores.) In "Sail Away," he assumes the voice of a recruiter for the slave trade, and in another track, he tells the story of a flood that occurred in Louisiana in 1927. In beautiful songs like "I Think it's Gonna Rain Today," "Marie," and "Feels Like Home," he drops the jokes and social satire to reveal a more sensitive side.

This dichotomy is best expressed in the two most recent tracks (from 1999's acclaimed Bad Love): "Shame," about a dirty old man trying to hang onto a pretty young thing while denying his obvious neediness and rage ("A man of my experience in life don't expect a beautful young woman like yourself to come on over here every day, have some old dude bangin' on ya like a gypsy on a tambourine..."), and "I Miss You," Newman's love letter to an ex-wife ("I wanna thank you for the good years, and apologize for the rough ones"). Newman is a pop songwriter for thinking people, and the songs on this best-of are catchy and clever whether they make you laugh or not. (I must also mention his track-by-track liner notes, which are brief but still insightful.)

Description of Best of Randy Newman

Classic Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Folk
• Pop
• Rock