| Rating |
Summary |
|
| 4 by Rolling Stone |
Randy Newman has earned a nice living in recent years as a film composer, but connoisseurs covet his Seventies work, when he emerged as one of the most cutting and empathic of American singer-songwrit... |
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| n/a by www.hotpress.com |
Sharp, incisive, funny and at times even heart-rending in the context of some beautifully-judged rag/country/Dixie-land songs. |
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| n/a by www.guardian.co.uk |
It remains extraordinary this ability to jump from Tom Lehrer to early Tom Waits. |
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| n/a by Popmatters |
Harps and Angels belongs up there with 12 Songs and Sail Away as one of Newmans greatest works, regardless if he took 20 years to get it out into the public. |
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| n/a by www.avclub.com |
Some of the more on-the-nose satire falls flat....Still, heart-on-the-sleeve tracks like 'Losing You' and 'Feels Like Home' feature Newman at his most affecting. |
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| n/a by www.uncut.co.uk |
Newman is at his most affecting when he plays it mercilessly straight: his flickers of sincerity all the more beguiling for only appearing rarely. |
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| n/a by Billboard |
Randy Newman's shock-and-aw-shucks wit is so joyfully scathing at times on Harps and Angels that it's hard to believe it's been nine years since his last album of new material. |
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| n/a by www.blender.com |
This is Newmans most unwound album. |
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| n/a by www.courant.com |
A savvy storyteller with an acid-tipped language, Newman packages yarns in a voice that is the sonic equivalent of an Emmett Kelly clown face, naturally hangdog while subtly playful as he reminisces about life's rough patches. |
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| n/a by www.sputnikmusic.com |
It's hard to slate Harps and Angels too much, because the music is actually quite good in places and it's nowhere near bad enough to be a chore to listen to. |
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| n/a by www.villagevoice.com |
Newman is a master of sardonic humor, be it subtle or slapstick. Harps and Angels is further proof. |
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| n/a by www.slantmagazine.com |
If Harps and Angels occasionally seems uneven, it's because Newman is still so daring. If it seems occasionally classic, it's because he's still so insightful and startlingly good at writing songs. |
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| n/a by thephoenix.com |
Yet as welcome as it is to have Newmans acerbic wit back, it remains a singular pleasure to listen to a simple, devastating ballad like 'Losing You,' which is wrapped up in sympathetic strings and absolutely devoid of irony. |
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| n/a by www.noripcord.com |
This is Newmans most touching, musically rich and consistent record since Good Old Boys way back in 1974; and its hilarious to boot. |
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| n/a by www.cokemachineglow.com |
Newmans work here demands high praise, especially with his resume. |
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| n/a by www.boston.com |
40 years after his debut, the curly-haired songwriter continues to play to his strength: three-minute social commentaries that might sound bitter if they weren't so funny. |
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