Customer Reviews

Midnight Souvenirs

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The only reason I listen to Peter Wolf was that I read a GLOWING review in Rolling Stone back when his album "Fool's Parade" came out by the founder and publisher of RS, Jann Wenner. He never reviews anything, and he basically said it was one of the greatest things he had ever heard. Now, of course I grew up listening to some J. Geils, but I didn't know Peter Wolf AT ALL.

That album was fantastic, as well as his follow-up "Sleepless." When I read recently it had only sold 40k copies, I was blown away. That's insane. I have played his music for people over the years, and everybody who has listened, says how great he is. I mean, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards played on his last album. That's not an easy pair to score.

On this album, he has duets with Merle Haggard, Neko Case, and Shelby Lynne. If you're hesitant at all about buying this album, just go online and search for his recent performance with Shelby Lynne on Jimmy Fallon. You'll find it pretty easily, and I can say that I actually prefer the live version to the studio, and the studio version is great.

But if you're reading this, you probably already know who Peter Wolf is, and love him. So, do this instead. Get this album for a friend. Or just play it for your wife or best friend. More people need to know who he is, beyond the guy who sang "Love Stinks."

Peter Wolf is amazing. End of story.

Peter Wolf's first new release in eight years will instantly make fans realize just how big a hole his absence left in their lives. It will also make you long for a time when cool rock music was everywhere, could be heard regularly on the radio, and didn't need adjectives to claim it independent of the mainstream - it was the mainstream. Wolf's solo works have always retained the fire of his earlier sides with the J. Geils Band, but they were also the product of an adult voice. Together with longtime producer Kenny White, Wolf's crafted a sleek album of rock music that draws heavily on its R&B, soul and blues roots. He's written or co-written all but one of the fourteen tracks, and covers Alan Toussaint's "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky." The latter is a perfect vehicle for the Wolf showmanship.

Wolf duets on the opening "Tragedy" with Shelby Lynne, calling, responding and harmonizing as a couple dancing passionately on the razor's edge between reconciliation and extinction. The song opens with Wolf singing against rich guitars, giving listeners a moment to luxuriate in the qualities of his voice. But as Lynne and the band kick-in, she proves herself the perfect foil and the arrangement builds and subsides with the song's exhilarated and exhausted emotions. Romantic turmoil and opportunities are considered alongside Wolf's thoughts on mortality. "There's Still Time" is resolute in making the best of current opportunities, while "Lying Low" looks forward. The themes twine together in "Green Fields of Summer," a duet with Neko Case that realizes the actions and relationships of the here and now echo into the hereafter.

Mostly it's women that are on Wolf's mind. He dreams and chases, fights and makes up, keeps an eternal flame in "Always Asking for You" and laments losses in "Then it Leaves us All Behind." There's hard-won experience in both his optimism and heartbreak, and he expresses this with humor on the motor-mouthed soul rap "Overnight Lows." The album closes with a pair of honorifics, the retrospective tribute to Willy DeVille, "The Night Comes Down," and the beautifully crafted Merle Haggard duet, "It's Too Late for Me." Wolf sounds great throughout the album, in good voice and reveling in his blue moods; his new songs are crafted to tell stories with their arrangements as well as their lyrics. Let's hope the next triumph isn't eight years away! 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

The music of Peter Wolf belongs to my life for more than 35 years, and like old wine, he's getting better all the time. J. Geils was great but Pete solo is the best.
This new album is everything you can expect from music: heartache, tears and move ass. Just like "Sleepless" it burns to my heart, great voice, great lyrics, great music, great songs.

Please Mr. Wolf, don't let us wait another 8 years.

Many greetings

Jürgen from Herkenrath, Germany

Peter Wolf is 64, and I think about how interesting it would be to hear him today perform "Centerfold" or "Piss On The Wall". Now that would be something. However, Mr. Wolf has taken another direction, one less traveled, and less filled with radio hits. He has become quite the accomplished musical artist, and I reserve a place in my enormous pantheon of music I listen to, just for him.

Yes, his seventh solo album, "Midnight Souvenirs", is a continuation of that maturation process that began in 1996 with "Long Line". Peter opens himself up even more here by working with Shelby Lynne, Neko Case and Merle Haggard. This time mining an alt-country, blues, soul vibe, and he does this extremely well. The album as a whole is greater than its individual parts. There are no stand alone tracks here, instead they all work together to make a solid recording. There are no pop hits to be found, but there are some might good tracks like "Watch Her Move", "Lying Low", "The Green Fields Of Summer", "Always Asking For You", "Overnight Lows" and "It's Too Late For Me".

Before listening to "Midnight Souvenirs", I went back to J. Geils and listen to some of their work, and then went album by album starting with 1984's "Lights Out" all the way up to 2002's "Sleepless". It's quite a trajectory. I am glad Mr. Wolf is doing his own thing now, far from the greedy pockets of the popular music biz (I know, he's on Verve records, but I consider them at least non-mainstream).

Four stars because, well, it's a great album, don't get me wrong, but there are no really memorable songs here, just pleasant ones, and that's not a bad thing.

Here's how "Midnight Souvenirs" compares to Peter's other works:

1984 Lights Out: Three Stars
1987 Come As You Are: Three Stars
1990 Up To No Good: Three Stars
1996 Long Line: Four Stars
1998 Fool's Parade: Four Stars
2002 Sleepless: Four Stars
2010 Midnight Souvenirs: Four Stars

The J. Geils Band, one of the best blues-rock party bands ever (and one that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but I digress), broke up 30 years ago. Since that time, Peter Wolf has been a solo artist, and something has happened during this period that not many people have noticed--he has become one of the greatest American performers of our time. I'm not exaggerating. I've seen him several times, and the man is the real deal. He doesn't need auto-tune or gimmicks. He relies only on his musical knowledge and talent to keep you engaged, and he has both in abundance. If that's not enough, his banter is also quite entertaining.

There is nothing like seeing him live, but this album will give you a good idea of what's inspiring all this praise from me. You'll hear one of the best voices in rock bringing some great songs to life in a mix of musical styles, including blues, rock, soul, R&B and country. The production and arrangements are top-notch, and his band is smoking. As an added bonus, special guests Neko Case, Shelby Lynne and Merle Haggard deliver some potent vocals.

When this first came out, I was telling all the music lovers I know about it. It's that good.

I lost track of Peter Wolf since the J.Geils band disolved. When I saw this CD online and listened to some sound clips, I thought this might be an alright record. Well....I can't believe how fantastic it really is. I must have listened to it 100 times over in the past few months.

The record is so catchy, with great melodies and an awesome band to boot. If I could vote for record of the year this would be it. I dug it so much I bought PW's previous releases of Fool's Parade and Sleepless. All 3 are excellent records.

Peter Wolf....thank you for making some really good music over this past decade. I don't know why you don't get more credit or air play. Your music deserves to be heard!!!

What a show. What a band. What an album. What a performer. He is at the end of his tour but the man should be performing on. He has the edge and the touch and has the experience and talent to back all of it up. If you can see and hear him somewhere, do it. This album captures it but you can't see the funky black hair, the dime store hat and you should. Dude's the real deal. The real deal.

One of the indicators of the quality of a new release is when it prompts you to revisit the artist's previous recordings. I was able to re-appreciate my old J.Geils albums and I began an investigation into Peter's other solo work. Apparently I have been missing some wonderful stuff. If those CDs are as great as Midnight Souvenirs I am in for a real treat. All 14 tracks on this album are really good. The audio is clear and the supporting musicians are playing with enthusiasm and skill. On this date the CD is only $[...] bucks. Get it.

Great, great CD. Brings back great memories of J Geils but goes beyond that. The range of styles is terrific. Who would have thought that Peter Wolf would do country and do it great? Wonderful. Can't say enough about it. Just hope that he tours.

Midnight Souvenirs is easily my favorite CD of the year so far. Pete's new songs are soulful and the songwriting and arrangements are terrific. I like the collaborations with other artists. It's a nice mix of blues, funk, country, and adult contemporary - which means you can't really box this into a single category. Keep the music coming, Pete!