Over the past few weeks, for one reason or another, I’ve delivered a series of artists who have either the prefix or surname of ‘Wolf’ to you. At least for another week, this trend continues. Brooklyn-based Jim Wolf is a different breed from the others. For starters, Wolf is a singer/songwriter whose lyrics tackle the time proven topic of love gained and love lost. What makes Wolf different from other troubadours who sing about love is that though hardly a finished product, he has the talent to make crowds forget about his lyrics and to sing along to his catchy melodies.

Wolf’s voice sounds like a blend of Rob Thomas and John Mayer, yet at the same time, has an everyman drawl that is relatable. For a singer who cites his influences, in addition to the aforementioned singers, as Radiohead, Dave Matthews Band and Elliott Smith, it’s not surprising that his voice combines the best elements of these artists.

Since third grade, Wolf has played music. He took up the piano and then, like many fourth graders, started playing string instruments, the viola in particular. Wolf wasn’t as smitten with the viola as he was with the piano, so he put down his bow and headed back to the keyboard. After seeing his brother’s band perform while in high school, Wolf became hooked on blues-driven rock. On his 16^th birthday, Wolf was in for a big surprise and it wasn’t because he received Driver’s License in the mail. His brother’s band took him to his local Sam Ash in New Haven, CT and helped him pick out a new guitar, which was a Fender Stratocaster Jimmie VaughnTex-Mex edition and from this point, he starting writing original guitar-centric music.

Though he may be a veteran at songwriting, Wolf’s album, Sleeping With Strangers, took him over four years to get to the point where he was happy with the material. Though there were sessions at seven studios across New England and New York City, including the famous Cutting Room, Wolf’s best work came while recording in his own living space. That’s what gives the album a warm vibe and makes the sound feel organic.

With an already strong following across New England, the singer will be playing gigs in this familiar market in addition to his New York home. Though the album was just released, Wolf has enough raw talent that it will be interesting to see how his sound evolves from here on out.