This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
These days, Randy Newman pays the bills (and does so handsomely) by churning out kid-friendly, Oscar-calibre soundtracks — though oldsters fondly remember him for the ’70s novelty hits like Short People and I Love L.A.
Once upon a time, however, the singer-pianist was arguably the finest songwriter in America, possessed of a rapier wit and razor-sharp senses of melancholy and mischief that he used to skewer rednecks, fatcats and other deserving targets. But just when you might have given up on him, he’s back with Bad Love — his first non-score work in a decade and a set that proves his edge hasn’t dulled. With equal doses of snide wit and honest emotion, Newman turns his winking, jaundiced eye on the title subject, tackling old men obsessed with young women (Shame), rock stars who don’t know when to quit (I’m Dead) and even his own failed marriage (I Miss You). Bottom line: This might be the smartest album of the year. The bad news: Who knows when (or if) he’ll make another?
