IF THERE'S ONE CHARACTERISTIC that runs through Randy Newman's latest release, "Little Criminals," it's simplicity. In today's world, simplicity is usually a welcome addition to any venture, but in "Little Criminals" the marked lack of complexity quickly translates into boredom. Newman's latest effort, for the most part, doesn't have the necessary ingredients for the great block-buster cult album that his fans may be looking for.

At first glance, the record jacket gives the impression that its contents are very sophisticated. Randy Newman is peering into the camera, from behind sunglasses, on a bridge over some (presumably) Los Angeles freeway. He looks like an artist, with his hair mussed up and his well-worn clothing. So far, so good. But it's that back of the jacket that's the real killer--it contains the words to all the songs on the record within. The words of one verse are:

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,

Come what may,

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey,

I'm gonna take you away, away.

This doesn't sound like tha same person who wrote the Three Dog Night hit "Mama Told Me Not to Come."

Without a doubt, the best song on the album is "Short People," which has been getting a lot of air time on the radio lately. It's also the first song on the record and sets a standard that most of the other cuts can't compete with. Newman has some great insights about short people and communicates them with his own balanced view. His first lines are:

Short people got no reason

Short people got no reason

Short people got no reason

To live.

Right away he's made a hit with all of his fans who are jockeys. And Newman has some very good reasons why short people shouldn't be alive:

They got little hands