Music Review: Randy Newman’s ‘Little Criminals’

Randy_Newman-Little_Criminals_(album_cover)

One-of-a-kind singer/songwriter Randy Newman lives up to expectations and then some on Little Criminals, his latest album. Musically at the top of his form, particularly as a vocalist, he draws strong support from the Eagles and such other luminaries as Ry Cooder. Lyrically, meanwhile, he continues to show us the things we know in ways we’ve never imagined. His new titles sound like they belong to paintings, which makes sense because Newman has increasingly begun to eschew storytelling in favor of psychological scene painting. Among the best scenes here: “In Germany Before the War” and “Texas Girl at the Funeral of Her Father.” The program also includes the tongue-in-cheek “Short People.”

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