'Sail Away' & 'Good Old Boys'

I can't decide whether Randy Newman's a genius songwriter with his finger on the pulse of progressive America. Or a smarmy smartass.

I suspect the truth is somewhere in between. I've listened to both of these albums a number of times and I can't quite figure out if I really like them at all. Yes, he's saying something (or trying to say something) but is this church or a political rally? Or is it a pop record? Does making something "important" preclude it from being good?

Newman's songs are poignant as they are slathered in a poor man's wisdom. I do not think they are well-written, however, and they written with message in mind and not necessarily for the sake of craftsmanship. Like building a beautiful ship that can't float.

I know that I'm blaspheming one of the greatest American songwriters in history. I am just calling it as I see it. It's no reflection on his place in this world or his value or whatever. What Newman did on these albums no one else was doing and no one has done since.

I just can't figure out in my own head what value it has for myself. Also, do I need a crummy, two-bit piano player telling me what is right or wrong? Do I need to know his philosophy on religion despite his opinion not meaning much unless he'd written a few good pop songs in the 1960s?