Multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and producer Paul Peterson, a former keyboardist of The Time, leader of The Family and fDeluxe and protege of Prince, serves up a greasy slice of The Minneapolis Sound on Break on Free, his fifth album as a leader and debut for Leopard Records.
An eclectic collection of tunes, Peterson’s latest ranges from the punchy Prince/James Brown-styled title track to the Hall & Oates-influenced “I Couldn’t Do It Without You,” the power ballad “Beauty Beyond the Darkness,” metalesque funk-rocker “Big City” and tender ode to his wife, “Song for Julie (Forever I’ll Love You).” He also turns in faithful covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s In Need of Love Today” and Robbie Robertson’s “Broken Arrow,” and delivers two slamming salutes to his home turf in “Something in the Water” (which addresses the often-raised question, “Why is Minneapolis so funky?”) and “Minne Forget Me Not” (a clever adaptation of Hall & Oates’ “Philly Forget Me Not”).
