Todd Wolfe - CD Review - Borrowed Time - Blues Revue Issue 117 APR/MAY 2009
Todd Wolfe
Borrowed Time
Blues Leaf Records
Todd Wolfe is a true triple
threat. His jaw-dropping guitar
skills are well known, but he's
also a soulful singer who writes
a great song. Case in point: the
frenetic title track to Borrowed
Time. With the help of his tal-
ented bandmates (check out Michael Fossa's wild piano), Wolfe
draws you in with a groovy riff, catchy lyrics,and high-flying guitar.
Other fine Wolfe originals include the somber "Cold Black
Night," where Fossa weaves a spooky organ backdrop as Wolfe
moans the lyrics and wails on guitar, and the cheerfully funky "Ready
for Love," capped by one of Wolfe's soaring guitar flights. The slow-
rocking "California," which Wolfe co-wrote with his former boss,
Sheryl Crow, tells a tale of the cold reality behind the West Coast's
warm seductiveness. (The backup singer sounds a bit like Crow, but
it's fellow pop veteran Susan Cowsill.)
"If This Is Love" features a stunning vocal by Mary Hawkins as
Wolfe's stately guitar sings along. Howlin' Wolf's "Who's Been Talkin"
receives a samba beat, the groove anchored by drummer Dave
Hollingsworth and bassist Sauvek Zaniesienko. Felix Pappalardi's
"Baby I'm Down" features Pappalardi's old Mountain bandmate, Leslie
West, on lead guitar and vocals. Frequent collaborators, Wolfe and
West sound great singing together. Military drums, Ed Canova's under-
stated bass, and Wolfe's slide set up the track and take it home per-
fectly.Equally effective are Wolfe's mournful slide and vocal and Rich
Frikkers' heartbeat drumming on "You're Not The Only One."
-----Kay Cordtz
Blues Revue Issue 117 APR/MAY 2009
Borrowed Time
Blues Leaf Records
Todd Wolfe is a true triple
threat. His jaw-dropping guitar
skills are well known, but he's
also a soulful singer who writes
a great song. Case in point: the
frenetic title track to Borrowed
Time. With the help of his tal-
ented bandmates (check out Michael Fossa's wild piano), Wolfe
draws you in with a groovy riff, catchy lyrics,and high-flying guitar.
Other fine Wolfe originals include the somber "Cold Black
Night," where Fossa weaves a spooky organ backdrop as Wolfe
moans the lyrics and wails on guitar, and the cheerfully funky "Ready
for Love," capped by one of Wolfe's soaring guitar flights. The slow-
rocking "California," which Wolfe co-wrote with his former boss,
Sheryl Crow, tells a tale of the cold reality behind the West Coast's
warm seductiveness. (The backup singer sounds a bit like Crow, but
it's fellow pop veteran Susan Cowsill.)
"If This Is Love" features a stunning vocal by Mary Hawkins as
Wolfe's stately guitar sings along. Howlin' Wolf's "Who's Been Talkin"
receives a samba beat, the groove anchored by drummer Dave
Hollingsworth and bassist Sauvek Zaniesienko. Felix Pappalardi's
"Baby I'm Down" features Pappalardi's old Mountain bandmate, Leslie
West, on lead guitar and vocals. Frequent collaborators, Wolfe and
West sound great singing together. Military drums, Ed Canova's under-
stated bass, and Wolfe's slide set up the track and take it home per-
fectly.Equally effective are Wolfe's mournful slide and vocal and Rich
Frikkers' heartbeat drumming on "You're Not The Only One."
-----Kay Cordtz
Blues Revue Issue 117 APR/MAY 2009
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