The Sandspur

Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Angry has been the image most associated with Graham Parker since his 1976 debut. It's
almost understandable _ the bantam Brit's biting voice seems to have a natural sneer to it. But the work of this still-underappreciated rocker has always been richly multidimensional, and "Don't Tell Columbus" is no exception.

Working mostly in a folkrock mode, Parker flashes that acid wit on such topically oriented cuts as "Ambiguous" and "Stick to the Plan." But he's better here when he's sounding more open-hearted, from the redemptive rush of "Somebody Saved Me" and the unabashedly romantic "All Being Well"
to "The Other Side of the Reservoir," a tale of loss with a metaphorical sweep that is one of Parker's most well-crafted and
moving ballads.

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