Randy Newman? He hit the charts with a bang twenty some odd years ago with "Short People" (a song about the absurdity of prejudice, that was widely misinterpreted as a slight to the altitudinally-challenged). Five years later he hit the target again with "I Love L.A." (a satirical song that was widely misinterpreted as a loving anthem to the pleasures of the southern California way).

Despite the "novelty song" nature of his radio hits, Randy's albums have consistently been rife with gorgeous, incredibly lyrical portraits of America and the various peoples who populate it. Sometimes an adroit social critic and other times a composer who's received 12 Oscar nominations for his many film scores--his body of work and longevity place him in a "National Treasure" category right up there with Willie Nelson and Tom Waits.

On Bad Love, Newman pulls no punches. He gives voice to a rangle gangle cast of scurrilous characters and as always, holds up a great big mirror for us to see ourselves clearly. Bad Love is a tour de force. On "My Country," he speaks as a regular-guy semi-slacker father who loves his children but prefers the company of his big-screen TV: "Feelings might go unexpressed/think that might be for the best/you dig too deep who knows what you will find." And later, "My children live alone now/They have TVs of their own/They keep on coming over anyway/As much as I love them, I'm always kind of glad when they go away."

As is the case with all of his non-soundtrack releases, there are a couple of tender unaffected ballads, but for the most part Bad Love is filled with ingenious ditties that expose our common human frailties and the various ills of the world. Songs of sardonic eloquence that are often funny (alot of his songs have punch-lines) and always profound. Regardless your musical inclinations, go grab yourself a copy, I think you'll love this stuff. Besides, dammit, "I Love To See You Smile."