Bun E. Carlos – Greetings From Bunezuela!
eOne Music
https://www.facebook.com/Bun-E-Carlos-158423844200933/

Rating: B

After being essentially forced out from Cheap Trick, Bun E. Carlos has been elected to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and has now released his first ever solo album… not too bad for the first time he’s been unemployed in four decades!

The album features 13 songs, 10 of which are covers of less than household known classic rock tunes.  This makes the collection pretty interesting and reveals Carlos as the rock nerd his fans have always known him to be.

Bun had fun… with the music as well as the musicians. Joining the man on the album are guests Pollard (Guided by Voices), Xeno (original Cheap Trick vocalist), Hanson, Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum), John Stirratt (Wilco), Nicholas Tremulis, Alex Dezen (Damnwells), Rick Rizzo (Eleventh Day Dream), and members of Candy Golde and the Monday Night Band.

Hanson?   Yes, Hanson.  Bun E. and a member of Hanson may seem like strange bedfellows, but they are old friends.  In 2009 Bun and Hanson singer Taylor Hanson (a huge Cheap Trick fan) were in the band Tinted Windows.  You see, one of the cool things on this effort is that every person on this album -and each song on the album- actually mean something to Bun E. Carlos.  It does not get more authentic than that!

The music has Cheap Trick influences, and each remake has the original soul of the song… yet all of it is uniquely his, which is to say that it is a little bit pop, a little bit rock, a little bit old school---okay, a lotta bit old school…and 100% fun.

Check this one out as Bunezuela seems to be a pretty cool place to hang. 

Bun E. Carlos, Greetings from Bunezuela! Track Listing

1. “Do Something Real” — Robert Pollard (Robert Pollard solo)
2. “Him or Me” — featuring Hanson (Paul Revere and the Raiders)
3. “Armenia in the Sky” — John Stirratt (the Who)
4. “I Love You No More” — Alex Dezen (the Blackstones)
5. “Tell Me” — Alejandro Escovedo (the Rolling Stones)
6. “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” — Dave Pirner (Bob Dylan)
7. “Let the Mystery Be” — Xeno (Iris DeMent)
8. “Idea” — Robert Pollard (the Bee Gees)
9. “Le Cactus” — Nicholas Tremulis (Jacque DuTronc)
10. “I Can Only Give You Everything” — Rick Rizzo (Them)
11. “Slow Down” — Alejandro Escovedo (Alejandro Escovedo)
12. “Count on Me” — Xeno (Fra Lippo Lippi)
13. “I Don’t Mind” — Alex Dezen (Alex Dezen)

By Jeb ”Ain’t That a Shame” Wright