Actually, I should be a huge Randy Newman fan. I like talented singer-songwriters who write powerful lyrics exploring the darker sides of life. I appreciate self-deprecation and sarcasm as forms of criticism. Yet there's something about Randy Newman's music that just doesn't resonate with me. It could be his brittle singing style, even though I have no problem with so-called 'ugly' voices. It could be his deeply American perspective on the world — bitter and critical, certainly, but thoroughly American — or it could be something else entirely. Even though I find most of the songs brilliant, the album just washes over me. Sorry, Randy.