Wolf at the Door
Studio album by
Walter "Wolfman" Washington
Released1991
GenreBlues
LabelRounder Records[1]
ProducerScott Billington
Walter "Wolfman" Washington chronology
Out of the Dark
(1988)		 Wolf at the Door
(1991)		 Sada
(1991)

Wolf at the Door is an album by the American blues musician Walter "Wolfman" Washington, released in 1991.[2][3]

Production

The album was produced by Scott Billington.[4] It was recorded with Washington's Roadmasters band.[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]

The Washington Post wrote that "Washington broadens the blues focus of his first two solo albums to include pop-jazz and Southern soul numbers ... he's singing better than ever and he plays guitar with a welcome new restraint."[9] USA Today thought that "the venerable singer/guitarist and his ace Roadmasters are impressively flexible, brewing up le bon temps with jazz ('Peepin''), gospel ('It Doesn't Really Matter') and blues ('Tailspin')."[5]

Living Blues called the album Washington's "most assured ever," writing that he sings "Hello Stranger" "with real expression, adding pithy guitar commentary that negates the triviality of synthesizer harmonies and George Bensonesque verbal shtick."[10] The Journal of American Folklore deemed Washington "New Orleans' premier contemporary bluesman," writing that "his own haunting love ballad 'Don't Say Goodbye' is the most distinctive piece on the record."[11]

AllMusic thought that "the horn arrangements look back toward 1960s Motown, and five of the six tracks fall squarely into the idiom of pre-disco R&B, with touches of funk and gospel."[6] The Rolling Stone Album Guide called Wolf at the Door Washington's "strongest" album, writing that "the brass arrangements, in particular, are stunning."[8]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Hello Stranger"6:11
2."Is it Something You've Got/I Had it All the Time"5:31
3."I Want to Know"4:50
4."Peepin'"5:45
5."It Doesn't Really Matter"6:02
6."Heatin' it Up"4:24
7."Tailspin"3:02
8."At Night in the City"4:46
9."Don't Say Goodbye"4:22

Personnel

  • Wilbert Arnold - drums
  • Jack Cruz - bass
  • David Ellington - piano
  • Tom Fitzpatrick - saxophone
  • George Jackson, Jr. - percussion
  • Walter "Wolfman" Washington - guitar, vocals

References

  1. ↑ Santelli, Robert (2001). The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Penguin Books. p. 493.
  2. ↑ "Walter "Wolfman" Washington | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ Heim, Chris (22 Feb 1991). "The latest batch of New Orleans sounds from Rounder". Chicago Tribune. Friday.
  4. ↑ "Album Reviews". Billboard. 103 (21): 66. May 25, 1991.
  5. 1 2 Gundersen, Edna (24 Apr 1991). "Take a bite of `Alligator stomp'". USA Today. p. 4D.
  6. 1 2 "Wolf at the Door - Walter "Wolfman" Washington | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  7. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 529.
  8. 1 2 The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 751.
  9. ↑ "LOUISIANA OFFERS ITS ZYDECO TO GO". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  10. ↑ Hadley, Frank-John (July 1991). "Record Reviews". Living Blues. 22 (4): 64–65.
  11. ↑ Narváez, Peter (Autumn 1991). "Current Blues Recordings". Journal of American Folklore. 104 (414): 518.
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