Graham Parker
Songs of No Consequence
(Bloodshot)
First Appeared in The Music Box, July 2005, Volume 12, #7
Written by John Metzger
It’s been quite some time since Graham Parker has crafted an album that
seethes with the fury of his latest outing Songs of No Consequence.
Retreating from the country-tinged overtones of his previous effort Your Country
as well as the singer-songwriter-oriented focus of many of his other
recent forays, Parker successfully re-embraces the punchy pub-rock of his heyday
without sounding as if he merely is trying to recreate his past. With a snarl
that straddles the ground separating Bob Dylan from Elvis Costello, he invokes
all the swagger of his youth as he mightily unleashes his customarily biting
lyrics while taking tremendous pleasure in wreaking havoc upon pop-culture media
(Vanity Press), rebellious teens turned middle-aged sellouts (Did
Everybody Just Get Old?), and Clear Channel’s monopoly of the airwaves (There’s
Nothing on the Radio). Backed by the decade-old, punk-pop outfit The Figgs,
Parker undeniably has regained the edge that for far too long has been missing
from his work, and whether dabbling in reggae (Evil), Stones-ian rock (Bad
Chardonnay), folk-pop (Dislocated Life), or R&B (Ambivalent),
he taps into a newfound sense of urgency that signals the sort of mid-period
rejuvenation at which Your Country only hinted. Granted, throughout his
career, his sardonic wit has remained intact, but with music that once again
matches his rage, Songs of No Consequence easily ranks among Parker’s
best endeavors.
Of Further Interest...
Elvis Costello / Allen Toussaint - The River in Reverse
Steve Earle - The Revolution Starts...Now
Various Artists - Why the Hell Not? The Songs of Kinky Friedman
Songs of No Consequence is available
from Barnes & Noble. To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005 The Music Box