#432: Peter Wolf's Sleepless

Back in his days as a DJ in Boston, Wolf used to refer to himself as "The Wolfa Goofa with the Green Toofa." Thankfully, he would eventually give up his cheesy radio jock persona for performing, most notably as the J. Geils Band's frontman. His solo work is notable as well, however, this 2002 release being no exception. On Sleepless, Wolf draws on bluegrass, country, blues, gospel and soul to flesh out a compelling and comprehensive redux of Americana, bringing into the project a number of notable friends. Steve Earle shows up on "Some Things You Don't Want to Know," while Mick Jagger is recruited for back up vocals on "Nothing But the Wheel" and Keith Richards spots on "Too Close Together." Not surprisingly, this record brings to mind Exile on Main Street at moments... Similarities aside, however, even at its most referential this is a work entirely Wolf's own, and indeed "A Lot of Good Ones Gone," "Homework" and the closing title track see his enigmatic and soulful delivery standing proudly and capably on its own merits.

Some other thoughts:

#433, Brian Eno's Another Green World: Eno's second solo effort saw him veering away from traditional rock arrangements and into the free-form instrumental territory that would foreshadow his ambient records. Examples of this include "In Dark Trees," "The Big Ship" and "Zawinul-Lava," while numbers such as "Sky Saw," "I'll Come Running" and "Everything Merges With the Night" would appeal to fans of Here Come the Warm Jets and Eno's subsequent production work with the likes of Bowie, Talking Heads and U2.

#431: The Supremes' Anthology: The Supremes were, in my opinion, not the best of the girl groups of the '60s, but they were undeniably the standard bearers of the form. This being essentially a greatest hits record, classics such as "Standing at the Crossroads of Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love" are represented, as are a handful of interesting covers and a number of collaborations with fellow Motown greats the Temptations.