Graham Parker – Deepcut To Nowhere

A blast from the past kick-starts Deepcut To Nowhere, as stinging guitar lines and organ fills punctuate Graham Parker’s snarling vocals on the apocalyptic opening track “Dark Days”. Parker hits the ground running with the same soulful brew of gritty R&B and pub rock that he emerged with more than two decades ago, and hardly lets up for the duration.

“I’ll Never Play Jacksonville Again” is a cinematic tale of life on the run, propelled by an infectious chorus and a stuttering guitar riff. “If It Ever Stops Rainin'” adds a country-flavored mandolin to the mix without sacrificing any of the song’s tough bravado. Parker’s barbed wit, one of his strong points throughout his career, displays itself on the self-effacing “It Takes A Village Idiot”, while “Syphilis And Religion” takes aim at missionaries who bring “civilization” to the natives.

Despite the album’s vintage feel, a few songs on Deepcut reveal the present-day Graham Parker. It’s doubtful the angry young man of the ’70s would have penned “Tough On Clothes”, an ode to his kid’s penchant for destroying her wardrobe, or such a lightweight swipe at suburban middle age as the rockabilly-infused “Socks ‘N’ Sandals”.

And only a mature Parker could have come up with “Blue Horizon”, a beautiful ballad in which he affectionately looks back at childhood and thanks his parents for their support and strength. In this case, age has brought Parker wisdom and one of his finest songs.