.com A British tradition, the Christmas cracker is a small firework that gives off a loud noise and shoots out a gift surprise when the holder pops it open. That's a fair description of what happens when you pop on this six-song EP from this often-surly, always-intriguing British singer-songwriter. Parker's trademark sneer is on queue on the blunt "Christmas Is for Mugs." As if to prove he's not 100 percent Scrooge, Parker also rips through some positively uplifting vibes in "Soul Christmas." Note: There are only three different songs on the EP (the third being "New Year's Revolution"). Demo versions of all three round out the set. --David Sprague
D**R
Two surprisingly good Christmas tunes
I got the CD of _Christmas Cracker_ at a Graham Parker concert, as a premium for buying one of his other CDs. Since it was free, I viewed it as a throwaway effort ... but I was pleasantly surprised when I actually played the thing."Christmas is for Mugs" is classic Graham - his lyrically cynical self, offering a hilariously dark view of this holiday. You may find yourself singing the snide chorus at unexpected moments each December."Soul Christmas" name-checks many of the great soul musicians, over a tasty, horn-heavy soul track. Nona Hendryx's down-home melodizing deftly offsets the quasi-soul stylings of this odd Anglo bloke.I found "New Year's Revolution" uninspiring, so I tend to skip right past it. Worth a listen or two, though. And the demo versions of the three songs, while naturally less polished, offer an interesting view of how songs evolve through the process of recording and production.Overall, it's not my favorite Parker, but it offers a couple of clever additions to the Christmas-song canon.
N**T
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Graham Parker Christmas classics
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