Pair mines past to stay current

Oberst, Newman both prized singer-songwriters CONOR OBERST and Randy Newman don't have much in common musically, but they each have albums being released today. Their bond is methodology, substance and the effect of geography on a life. Newman, who has dedicated more of his career to film work than to the songs that initially defined him, and Oberst, the leader of indie rock stalwarts Bright Eyes, rarely see their names in the same sentence. But examining their careers as a whole -- on the heels of analyzing the new albums -- shows how the definition of greatness among songwriters has not changed since the arrival of Bob Dylan. Newman in 1970 and Oberst 30 years later made albums that sounded unique in their eras. Their new albums stay true to the styles of their earliest work and are among the most important released this... [read full story]