Nonesuch Records will release Dark Matter, Randy Newman’s first album of new material in nine years, on August 4. The record is the follow-up to 2008’s Harps and Angels, and was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by longtime Newman collaborators Mitchell Froom, Lenny Waronker and David Boucher. The album’s nine songs include the 2016 digitally released “Putin,” plus songs about the Kennedy brothers, Sonny Boy Williamson, science vs. religion, love and loss, and more (full track list below; album available on vinyl August 18).
Dark Matter is available to pre-order now here. Pre-orders from Nonesuch also come with an exclusive print, a limited number of which will be signed by Newman. Tour dates begin this summer (details below); further fall shows will be announced soon.
According to a press release, Newman tried something new on Dark Matter: “If there is anything consistent about the songs, there is often more than one voice, in the big ones, and it’s different for me, a difficult thing to bring off, to make it comprehensible. I think it works. They cover more ground than most songs do and portray a number of different characters. Audiences are smart. They’ll understand the songs. I hope they like them as well.
Watch the lyric video for “Sonny Boy” from the master storyteller
Related: Read an excerpt from a book about the L.A. singer-songwriter scene
“I’m proud of the record,” Newman continues. “I think it’s entertaining—I hope it’s entertaining—and that’s eighty percent of what I try to do. Also, I’m doing something different than I’ve ever done before. It’s a step forward for me. And considering how long I’ve been doing this, I’m kinda proud of that.”
Listen to this beauty, “She Chose Me”
Accompanying Newman’s piano and vocals on Dark Matter are Matt Chamberlain (drums), David Piltch (bass), Blake Mills (guitar) and Mitchell Froom (additional keyboards).
Between 2003 and 2016, Nonesuch released three volumes of The Randy Newman Songbook, comprising solo recordings of songs from throughout Newman’s five-decade career, along with a three-CD box set of all volumes (a four-LP, limited-edition vinyl version included bonus tracks). In 2011, the label released a live CD and DVD recorded at London’s LSO St. Luke’s, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra led by Robert Ziegler.
Randy Newman’s honors include six Grammys, three Emmys, and two Academy Awards, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013—the same year he was given an Ivor Novello PRS for Music Special International Award.
Randy Newman Dark Matter Track List
- The Great Debate
- Brothers
- Putin
- Lost Without You
- Sonny Boy
- It’s a Jungle out There (V2)
- She Chose Me
- On the Beach
- Wandering Boy
Randy Newman Tour Dates (Tickets are available here and here)
Aug 24 – Jackson, WY – The Center
Sep 13 – Virginia Beach, VA – Sandler Center
Sep 15 – Morristown, NJ – Mayo PAC
Sep 16 – Troy, NY – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Sep 18 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
Sep 19 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere
Sep 21 – Annapolis, MD – Maryland Hall
Sep 24 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
Oct 06 – Napa, CA – Uptown Theatre
Oct 10 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
Oct 12 – Edmonds, WA – Edmonds Center for the Arts
Oct 18 – Chicago, IL – City Winery
Oct 19 – Chicago, IL – City Winery
Nov 17 – Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Symphony Hall
Nov 19 – Clearwater, FL – Capitol Theatre
Nov 21 – Naples, FL – Hayes Hall
Listen to “It’s a Jungle Out There”
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