Holy shit it's the guy who did 'You've Got a Friend in Me". I friggin love this guy! Going off of Spotify streams, it seems most of Randy Newman's most popular songs are Pixar scores - but before all that, there was this album: 'Good Old Boys'. Some moments here remind me a lot of Tom Waits' early works but less bar-fly and more pop. It's a cheery-sounding album a lot of the time but the lyrics on many of these songs tell a different story - like on the songs 'Mr. President (...)' and especially the opener 'Rednecks' which is one of the most striking criticisms of southern (and northern) racism I've heard from this time. There are also a few songs here dedicated to his hometown of Louisiana like the aptly titled 'Louisiana 1927' and 'Kingfish'. Lyrically speaking, it's as American as can get - albeit in an undeniably sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek way. It's a great album lyrically with quite a lot to chew on and the production and instrumentation here are lush and diverse all throughout its generous runtime. It's easy listening. But ultimately, it's Newman's singing flow and vocal style that gripped me the most here. It's such a loveable voice that works marvels in every context here, be it the slower songs, or the more upbeat ones. Such a great album and a tremendously enjoyable listen.