From: sfulton@ix.netcom.com (Steve Fulton)

Review Of Dave Sharp, Live, January 1990.  From Los Angeles Times
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LONE FOLKIE ANTHEMS A SHARP CONTRAST FROM ALARM

	Dave Sharp, lead guitarist for the rock group The Alarm did his 
marching without a drummer in a solo acoustic show Saturday at the Coach 
House in San Jaun Capistrano.  But that's quite the same as marching to 
a different drummer.
	Sharp, who does little of the Alarm's song writing, and even 
less of the singing, devoted most of the 70 minute set to material from 
an upcoming solo album.  In the theme of outlook, most of those solo 
songs weren't much different from the Alarm, a British band that always 
seems to be on the march with ringing anthems.
	Many of Sharp's solo songs shared the earnestness and 
exhortative quality and sense of embattled hopefulness familiar to fans 
of the Alarm, who turned out in warmly supportive fashion for the 
guitarists concert.  Still, Sharps' humble lone folkie presentation did 
make for a healthy contrast.
	Where the Alarm often strains for Importance, the solo Sharp was 
appealingly simple and unforced.  The grainy burr in his throat gave his 
singing a warm,. earthy feel as he accompanied himself with forthright 
strumming (no fancy picking) and an occasional blues twinged wheeze on 
harmonica.
	Some Alarmist tendencies cropped up in ready to sing refrains 
like "All through the land, everybody lend a hand, God save somebody".  
But performed solo, at least, even a broad exhortation like that didn't 
sound strident or pretentious.

-Mike Boehm