In his first local concert in three years, British rocker
Graham Parker showed off a more versatile vocal style and more convincing love songs at the
Bayou last night. Instead of shouting his way through a show as he once did,
Parker relied more on melodic and understated passages and saved his raspy yells for the
climaxes.
As a result, his tone was richer than ever, fitting his songs from his last two
albums which he emphasized in last night's performance. Songs like "Jolie, Jolie" and
"You Hit the Spot" combine his fierce anger at the world's love games with a genuine compassion
for and commitment to his own lover.
This is also Parker's first tour without the
Rumour. Only Brinsley Schwarz remains from the old band, and his guitar solos are now
brief and intensely focused. The four American musicians--featuring guitarist
Carlos Alomar and bassist Kevin Jenkins--supplied a choppy but precise dance
beat that ranged from reggae to
old-fashioned soul. With bold new arrangements of his old songs and live debuts
for his new ones, Parker reasserted his position as one of rock's most
important artists.
Billy Vera, L.A.'s equivalent of Billy Price, made his first D.C. appearance in
many years to open the show. Known last year as Billy
& the Beaters, Vera's nine-member band featured a crack four-man horn section
and Vera's rich, grainy voice. The thick horn arrangements bolstered Vera's
original songs, which fit right in with the Chicago and New Orleans
rhythm & blues standards.
Parker returns to the Bayou tonight.
- Geoffrey Himes
Reproduced with kind permission from Geoffrey Himes.
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