Customer Reviews

Sleepless

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Peter Wolf said that when he traveled to Nashville to visit with the legendary songwriter Harlan Howard (the man who wrote "I Fall To Pieces" and "Busted") he got a great little piece of advice. "Keep it simple, and tell the truth". Words that inspired Wolf to write the opening song "Growin Pain", and pretty much the theme for the rest of the album. A nice collection of simple country blues and r&b, and a great soulful voice by Wolf that's as good if not better than ever. Although I'm still hungry at times for that hard r&b, rock & roll jive talkin' singer I grew up with from the J. Geils band, I'm starting to get used to his more adult contemporary style approach that reminds me alot of the music that artists like Graham Parker and especially Van Morrison are making today. Wolf's songwriting has never been better. The beautiful "Five O'Clock Angel", his duet with Mick Jagger on the country blues tune "Nothin' But The Wheel", and the album closer "Sleepless" were standouts for me here. He also does another country blues song trading lines with Steve Earle on "Some Things You Don't Want To Know". And he even gets his old bandmate Magic Dick back on harp for Sonny Boy Williamson's "Too Close Together". On Otis Rush's "Homework", a reworking of an old J.Geils Band favorite, Wolf does a kind of gravel voiced spoken word ala Tom Waits version that is very different from the original. I'm still trying to get used to this one. But other than this song, Wolf has never sounded better. I think it's his best album since his wonderful "Long Line" record. The only sad thing about Peter Wolf's music is that so much of it is out of print. What's the deal with these record companies? C'mon, rerelease this stuff, and give us some some bonus tracks while your at it. This guy is too good not to be heard. Meanwhile get this while you can. If your a lover of well done r&b music like I am, you'll eat this stuff up.

Well another surprise from the Woofah Goofah. Over thirty years later this guy is still pulling rabbits out of the hat. This is probably a shade better than the marvellous Fool's Parade. A collection of diverse gems, ballads like "Five O'Clock Angel"(my favourite)and "Alot of Good Ones Gone" are absolutely stunning. Rockers like "Never Like This Before" and "Too Close Together"(Keith Richards comes in handy) show that Wolf is still a hard driving man with heaps of energy. The album reaches the point of fascination on "Oh Marianne" where Peter blends rich Drifters doowop vocal arrangements with a driving Latin rock beat set against a sad story line. There are many highlights throughout this imaginative set. Share this album with people you know.If radio don't play it make it an underground smash. I've already played to two people who had never heard of Peter and they were genuinely impressed. Kudos to Wolf, co-producer Kenny White, Will Jennings and all of the musicians who worked on Peter's team. Hope the man tours.

Like its predecessor "Fool's Parade", "Sleepless" is a marvelous compendium of `roots' music, cut from the same vintage cloth as that of the great R&B, R&R, and C&W legends to whom Wolf has always paid homage whether as fan, friend, valet, disc jockey, music archivist/historian, songwriter, singer, or performer. On these 2 most recent albums, the former lead singer of the J.Geils Band, with his most sympatico producer and band, has created works which, from our humbly slanted perspective, are as soulful and masterful as those of his role models. Each cut on "Sleepless" gleams from the very first listen and adds dimension with each successive one. The highlights are a laundry list: The impeccable ensemble playing by such stalwarts as Dylan band members Larry Campbell and Tony Garnier, drummer-extraordinaire Shawn Pelton and keyboard player (and the album's co-producer) Kenny White, et al.; Mick Jagger singing his bony [butt] off and letting it bleed all over what could be a lost Stones' track; Keith Richards' insouciant jamming with Wolf, White, and Wolf's former bandmate Magic Dick on an old Sonny Boy Williamson tune--the smiles on the player's faces palpable; Steve Earle providing an extra measure of authenticity to a lovely country waltz; the Spanish Harlem vibe of `Oh Marianne'; Wolf's lecherously waggish take on the Geils' nugget `Homework'; the haunting and ominous mood cast on `Run Silent, Run Deep'; and on and on and on. Wolf continues to broaden his vocal palette as he matures, moving easily from passionate to vulnerable to hopeful to cocky to playful to world-weary to poignant, as the situation calls for. The warm, natural, organic sound of this record (with props to engineer Rob Eaton) and the absence of gimmicks and new-fangled studio tricks further contribute to its timeless character. Rolling Stone Magazine has hailed this cd as an "Instant Classic". We suggest that, despite their current predilection for putting scantily-clad, talently-challenged, pubescent women on their covers (or because of it), you take their word for it. And ours, too.

Peter Wolf is, in my opinion, one of the most unrespected vocalists in rock history. He was in a band that wasn't named after him (The J. Geils Band), but to me, he always symbolized the band's spirit & verve. They say white men don't have soul, but Peter has always been one of the few that truly do & even after leaving his band to go solo, he may not have saw a lot of commercial acclaim, yet artistically he hasn't done any wrong. Well into his 50s, Peter shows his unflagging vitality with his newest album SLEEPLESS.

It's a proven fact that J. Geils wasn't the same without Peter & when he left, it's no surprise they disbanded shortly after. The reunion concerts of a few years ago showed the chemistry was still there, but I imagine a studio reunion is either not in the cards or postponed for the time being because Peter is back doing his solo thing. While his early solo stuff was distinctly '80s, his most recent music has been more rootsy & closer to the raw blues & soul he grew up loving. SLEEPLESS is right up there with his best J. Geils work & is good to have until a full-fledged reunion does come to pass.

In the liner notes, Peter says he was inspired by a meeting with legendary country songwriter Harlan Howard in coming up with some of the material on SLEEPLESS. He sure took one bit of Howard's sage advice to heart: "Keep it simple". He sure does with songs like "A Lot Of Good Ones Gone", "Run Silent, Run Deep", "Hey Jordan" & the title track with lyrics that are straight & to the point, like the best soul music of yore. The legendary sound of Stax & the grittier Motown songs were undoubtedly on Peter's mind while he wrote these. Speaking of Stax, William Bell's "Never Like This Before" might sound lifted almost liberally from the original, but never having heard Bell's original, I still enjoy Peter's version immensely. Howard's influence also had a hand in other ways, as the overt country sounds of "Growin' Pain" & "Some Things You Don't Want To Know" (with country rocker & Wolf friend Steve Earle) demonstrates.

As that song shows, Peter doesn't have a strictly soulful heart. "Oh Marianne" is inspired by the Drifters, as Peter himself says, but the accordion & percussion make it sound more Latin in the arrangement, almost like former Drifter Ben E. King's "Spanish Harlem". The story Peter describes behind this song is quite stunning in its own right. A deeper blues theme can be detected in songs like "Five O'Clock Angel", "Hey Jordan", Sonny Boy Williamson's "Too Close Together" & Otis Rush's "Homework" (which Peter had recorded with J. Geils before), the results being not just mere mimicry, but a singer learning his lesson well & still sounding like himself.

To further show that Peter Wolf's respect in the music industry is even more considerable than his commercial success, no less than two Rolling Stones chip in on SLEEPLESS. Mick Jagger shares vocal duties on the EXILE ON MAIN ST.-inspired (think "Torn & Frayed" mixed with "Sweet Virginia") "Nothing But The Wheel", which could accurately describe Mick's own life. Keith Richards has always been the rootsier member of the Stones, so his helping out on "Too Close Together" makes perfect sense & you wish today's Stones would come up with something half as rocking as this.

It's easy to knock artists over 50 for sticking around too long & not hanging it up. But truth be told, some artists actually get better & find their sense of purpose as they reach that pivotal age & Peter Wolf is certainly one of them. While his cult may be larger than his rate of success, the fact that Peter has refused to kowtow to major trends (at least with his 1990s music) is commendable for sure. SLEEPLESS is a stellar album from an artist who doesn't seem to lose any sleep over his lack of commercial success & those who are lucky to come across him should be grateful for that.

I've been following Pete's solo career since Come As You Are with both a feeling of joy and sadness. Joy because each consecutive album (until now) has been better then the last. Sadness because even with largely stellar reviews the albums have been ignored by radio and the record buying public. I expect Sleepless will receive the same disrespect and it's a shame. Though I do not like this album as much as the classic Fool's Parade it's still a very good Wolf album. Most of the songs work well. 'Growin Pain' has a great groove and lyric. 'Too Close Together' is a great cover with Keith Richards playing a great foil for the Wolf. 'A Lot of Good Ones Gone' and 'Oh Marianne' are also highlights.
When I first saw the song list I was surprised to see 'Run Silent, Run Deep' included since Pete recorded this song on Come As You Are. Pete does a great job of rerecording this song, but I would have preferred a new song instead. And the same can be said for 'Homework' the old J. Geils Band staple. I like the treatment here, but it's a throw away version that sounds like Pete was just goofing around. For most, these are none issues and it could be called minor quibbling on my part. The song 'Sleepless' breaks the string of incredible final songs on Wolf albums...it just isn't very interesting lyrically or musically....hopefully it will grow on me.
Maybe it was expecting too much to think that Pete would produce another record that equaled Fool's Parade. Or maybe it's just unfair to compare the two. While this album certainly is a worthy successor to that classic it just isn't quite as good which is still to say, it's better then most. I just hope he tours!

Three great cds in a row! Long Line, Fool's Parade & now the classic SLEEPLESS! Every song on this cd is A-grade material. Especially noteworthy are "Too Close Together", "Growing Pain", "Never Like This Before", "Nothing But The Wheel" & "Oh Marianne". If radio gave this cd a break it would do for Peter Wolf what Luck Of The Draw did for Bonnie Raitt in the 90s.

Another great work from Peter Wolf, comparable to his previous, also tremendous "Fool's Parade". Genuine, real R&B, but played with difficult-to-describe breezy, airy feeling that seems to be specific to Peter Wolf. Great issues of life told with casual wisdom. Peter Wolf remains the most interesting of still active "rock legends" I am aware of. On the scale of 1 to 5 stars, the album actually deserves 6 stars, but I just can't tell you; you MUST listen to this yourself!

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In short, the album completes Peter Wolf's return to his roots of R&B that he began with "Long Line" and continued with the stellar "Fool's Parade." The songs range from the mid-tempo shuffle of Growin'Pain and Never Like This Before to the swingin' Hey Jordan and Too Close Together to the ballady Five O'Clock Angel. There's even a stripped down, bluesy remake of Run Silent, Run Deep from the "Come As You Are" disc that works really well. Along the way, we're joined by Mick Jagger in a fine turn on harmonica and vocals (Mick takes one verse) on Nothing But The Wheel and Keith Richards flexes his chops on a cool Too Close Together.

But alas, if you're reading this, you've been following Peter Wolf's career just like me. You KNOW how good this disc is.

Here's a quick addition to the above comments:

Caught Peter Wolf when he joined Bruce Springsteen on stage at the Fleet Center in Boston for a wild rendition of "Dirty Water." The performance just goes to show how respected he is in the industry. Based on the performance, he's still got the live chops.

Peter Wolf has produced the album of the year, returning rock'n'roll to its tangled bluesy roots, from the loss and heartbreak of 'Growin' Pain' and 'A Lot of Good Ones Gone'
to the hunger of 'Never Like This Before.' Sleepless has gotta be the story of Peter's life, full of pain and joy and truth. Not a bad track in the lot.

TO: Peter Wolf
FROM: Zen Chicken

Thank you, Peter, from reminding me what's important about rock and roll and why I became such a passionate fan of this music. If there's any justice in the world, "Sleepless" win critical acclaim and sell a bazillion copies. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this jewel of a record and I count it among my most precious possessions. Live long, prosper and spread the word to the jaded masses: Rock and roll is here to stay.