''Human Soul'' is an album by the English musician

Graham Parker Graham Thomas Parker (born 18 November 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the British band Graham Parker & the Rumour. Life and career Early career (1960s–1976) Parker was born in Hackney, East L ...

. The album peaked at No. 165 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Parker supported the album by touring with

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

's Rock and Roll Revue.

Production

''Human Soul'' was originally divided into "Real" and "Surreal" sides. Pete Thomas, Steve Nieve, and

Andrew Bodnar Andrew Bodnar is an English bass player who grew up in Clapham, South London. He and drummer Steve Goulding (The Rumour, The Mekons, etc) met and began playing together as a rhythm section while still at school. They spent their teenage years au ...

contributed to the album. "Slash and Burn" is about deforestation; "Green Monkeys" is about AIDS. "Soultime" was influenced by ska music.

Critical reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' called the album "an invigorating jolt—substantial and catchy songs, richly realized." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' wrote that "Parker explores the soulfulness of his musical roots (the great Stax/Volt R & B records of the '60s) and the soullessness of the era in which he lives." The ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'' noted that "the anger gives his love songs an edge and the man's aware of his own importance in the cosmic scheme of things." The ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' concluded that "''Human Souls best song is "'Big Man On Paper', a reflective, self-deprecating ballad that finds the expatriate Englishman wandering through a New York state shopping mall and trying, among other things, to make sense of 'the youth in their Whitesnake T-shirts'." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' determined that "Parker has synthesized all his best ingredients over the past decade—from the soulfulness of his ''Howling Wind'' album and incendiary rock of ''Squeezing Out Sparks'', to the biting politics displayed on his acoustic disc." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' opined that "the production could stand to be sharper and the songs are uneven, but in scope, ambition and self-integration, he's closed out the '80s with what is at least his most interesting album of the decade."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that "Parker's music is subtly diverse, adding elements of worldbeat, reggae, pop, and folk to his R&B-fueled rock & roll; however, most of the impact of the music is lost by the slick, radio-ready production."

Track listing

References

{{Graham Parker & The Rumour Graham Parker albums 1989 albums RCA Records albums