Record Boy Ink:

You can always count on Randy Newman’s acerbic take on the world to make Record Boy laugh out loud - Usually while at a traffic light by myself in my Recordmobile surrounded on both sides by curious onlookers.

Randy’s new album, "BAD LOVE" (DreamWorks) has a song called "I’m Dead (But I Don’t Know It)" which contains the most deadly accurate take on the phenomena of aging rock figures who have absolutely nothing left to contribute to pop culture (but keep putting out albums anyway). Sample lyrics..."I have nothing left to say but I’m going to say it anyway" and "Everything I write all sounds the same…each record that I’m making is like a record that I’ve made just not as good". Sonic snippets from guitarist Steve Donnelly that sound like a medley of the 70’s most famous guitar riffs enhance this hilarious indictment of those we can’t miss ‘cause they won’t go away.

Randy as usual throws in his political science lessons "The Great Nations of Europe" and "My Country", the latter stands to join "Born In The U.S.A." as the next misunderstood piece of jingoism to grace a T.V. commercial or a political campaign. While the song and chorus of "My Country" have all the feeling of patriotic bluster, Newman is singing in the verses about a nation of television addicts. In the songs "Shame" and "The World isn’t fair", Randy makes humorous observations about older men and younger women and in the country/western tune "Big Hat, No Cattle" muses about being a liar. "I Want Everyone To Like Me" is an anthem for the insecure. The rest of the songs on the album, are straightforward tales of sentimentality, pathos, regret and bitterness swirling in a love gone wrong batter. In other words, bad love.

Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake do a top notch production job and the gorgeous orchestral arrangements bring to mind a suggestion for Randy… do a record with Van Dyke Parks for cryin’ out loud!

The most delightful thing about this record is Randy Newman does still have something to say after being a recording artist for over 30 years.

He’s not dead and he knows it.