Peter Wolf has now been a solo artist for nearly as long as he spent as lead singer of the J. Geils Band. That’s given him a whole lot of time to expand and redefine—that he’s done so without losing any of his signature bravado, playfulness and impregnable spirit becomes swiftly apparent over the course of A Cure for Loneliness, Wolf’s eighth solo album since 1984. Take the reimagined version of “Love Stinks,” one of the most unexpected delights to be found within. You may remember it as a thumping MTV-era anthem that found its way to the Top 40 in 1980 but, here, it’s virtually unrecognizable, served up as pure bluegrass, complete with back-porch pickin’ and close harmonies Wolf also offers a moody take on “Tragedy,” a ballad hit for both Thomas Wayne and the Fleetwoods in the late-‘50s/early-‘60s. Wolf plays it straight and affectionately as a country ballad, thankfully not as novelty. Most of the album, however, is populated by new Wolf originals, ranging from the traditional R&B he’s always revered to kickin’ rockabilly and beyond. There’s a comforting familiarity to A Cure for Loneliness, even while Peter Wolf goes to places that, once upon a time, we would never have expected him to go.