In the 15 years between when he split with the J. Geils Band and the release of this collection, Peter Wolf put out only four solo albums. While maintaining a low profile, the jive-spittin" showman has lost much of the following he and his old Beantown compatriots put together through years of steady touring. With that intermittent post-Geils career in mind, one might approach Fool"s Parade with some reservations. Doubters are in for a pleasant surprise. Far from sounding either burned out or out of touch, Wolf remains both relevant and true to himself by grounding Fool"s Parade in the R&B and bar-band elements he"s favored from the start while subtly adding contemporary pop elements. Geils partisans may initially find themselves feeling wistful for Wolf"s antics of old, but closer inspection indicates he"s just bringing a little grace to the nitty-gritty. --Steven Stolder