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In the late '70s era of the Angry Young Man, few were as wickedly literate, acidic, witty or as broadly focused with their vitriol as Graham Parker. His work with The Rumour, a blend of British Folk and Soul with a New Wave twist, vaulted him into the limelight but his 30-year pursuit of musical diversity and devotion to lyrical relevance has cemented his legend. Parker's recent trips into AltCountry have been fantastic applications of his acerbic wordplay to a twangier soundtrack. But his latest work, Don't Tell Columbus, finds GP looking to reconcile his later Country diversions with his early R&B/Pop work. Parker has already found plenty of lyrical fodder in the Iraq conflict and gets a little more in the metaphorical "Bullet of Redemption." Parker delivers Dylanesque classicism with the shuffling skiffle, front-page roll-call of "Stick to the Plan" and "I Discovered America," and the shimmery takes on modern life and love in "Love or Delusion" and "Total Eclipse of the Moon." The brilliant thing about Graham Parker is that, after years of making vital and contemporary music, he has nothing left to prove ... yet proves it time and again. (BB) Grade: A
