A Cure for Loneliness (Concord, 2016)
Peter Wolf
Reviewed by Lee Zimmerman
"A Cure For Loneliness" is no exception, a song cycle that finds the once swaggering singer navigating the fertile fields of America's heartland, taking it at a pace that goes from a rumble to a shuffle to an occasional exhortative outpour. Partly live, mostly studio, it has the Geils Band's big hit and standby "Love Stinks" repurposed at a bluegrass clip, with fiddles, mandolin and an entire audience echoing that familiar refrain. Likewise, the rowdy call to arms signalled through "Wasted Time" prompts another incendiary reaction. "How Do You" offers a boozy boogie on par with ZZ Top, while the soulful "It's Raining," written with Don Covay and intended as a duet with the late Bobby Womack, demonstrates Wolf's worth as an emotive singer versed in a variety of forms.
Nevertheless, with a title like "A Cure For Loneliness, it's only natural to expect that regret and remorse will be central themes, and so its comes as little surprise that trudging tempos dominate the mix. Here again however, Wolf pulls all of it off with aplomb, be it the lazy back country clip of "Rolling On," the hushed, reverential "Peace of Mind" or the mellow drift that underscores "Fun For A While." Eight albums on, Wolf's remarkable renaissance is in full bloom, making "A Cure For Loneliness" just what the doctor ordered.
CDs by Peter Wolf


©Country Standard Time • Jeffrey B. Remz, editor & publisher • countrystandardtime@gmail.com
About • Copyright • Newsletter • Our sister publication Standard Time