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Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman

About.com Rating

By Kim Ruehl, About.com

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Sail Away - The Songs of Randy Newman

The Bottom Line

David Wild states in the liner notes, "If you are reading these words and you write songs, know this much right upfront: you are not as good as Randy Newman." Considering the songwriters included on this record: Bela Fleck, Tim O'Brien, Sam Bush, Steve Earle, Del McCoury, and Sonny Landreth, to name a few, it may be safe to say Wild isn't alone with that sentiment.

Pros

"Sail Away" - Tim O'Brien
"Birmingham" - Del McCoury Band
"Rednecks" - Steve Earle
"Mr. President (Have Pity On the Working Man)" - Sam Bush
"Louisiana" - Sonny Landreth

Cons

None

Description

Newman's best work performed by some of the best contemporary folk & bluegrass players
An honest record that sails through beautiful songs with melodic ease
Steve Earle, Bela Fleck, Tim O'Brien, The Duhks, Sam Bush, Del McCoury Band, Kim Richey, and more

Guide Review - Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman

As Randy Newman has said himself, "If you don't listen close, I don't think my stuff is any good." Like Newman's own versions of his songs, this album is not intended for background music. If you're just going to put it on in the background at a party, it'll likely be met with wrinkled noses and a strong desire to change the music; but that's okay, because Randy Newman never wrote background-at-a-party music, except for, maybe, "Short People" (suspiciously absent from the track listing here).

In fact, Steve Earle's version of "Rednecks" is so cleverly wrong, that if you don't listen closely enough, you just might think you're offended. The Duhks' fantastic cover of "Political Science" is as witty as Newman's own, and feels even more timely now than it did in 1972.

Other bright moments include every other song on the disc. Honestly, how could Tim O'Brien go wrong with "Sail Away," or Del McCoury with "Birmingham"? Sonny Landreth's version of "Louisiana" is already all over the radio.

Newman's gift for songwriting is unprecedented and often overlooked by anyone who's not a songwriter already; but with any luck, Sugar Hill's compilation will convince the non-songwriters of the world of Randy Newman's insurmountably tenacious, purposeful talent. If nothing else, at least it offers a dozen songs that celebrate the things Americans cherish most: love, sex, death, dissent, and rednecks.