Bob "Slim" Dunlap was a longtime fixture on the Minneapolis rock scene, playing with the band Spooks and backing local hero Curtiss A, before he was invited to join
the Replacements in 1987 after the departure of Bob Stinson and began earning some well-deserved recognition outside his hometown. After
the Replacements broke up,
Dunlap cut a pair of terrific solo albums -- 1993's The Old New Me and 1996's Times Like This -- that didn't sell well but rank with the very best recorded work from a former member of
the 'Mats, and revealed that
Dunlap was a sharp, witty songwriter with a big heart and an eye for life's little details. In February 2012,
Dunlap suffered a severe stroke that has left him unable to play music and in need of constant medical care; a group of friends and admirers stepped up to release a series of limited-edition vinyl singles and EPs to raise money for
Dunlap's expenses, and Songs for Slim: Rockin' Here Tonight features the cream of these benefit releases in digital format, along with a bonus disc of unreleased performances.
Dunlap wrote 25 of the 28 tracks here, and one of the best things about this collection is that it gives his songs a richly deserved wider hearing than they received in the past; it's hard not to be impressed by
Dunlap's way with a tune, his lyrics that offer a regular guy's take on the ups and downs of life and love, and his ability to sound clever and down to earth at the same time, and a few of these tunes could have improved the overall quality of
the Replacements'
Don't Tell a Soul or
All Shook Down.
Paul Westerberg and
Tommy Stinson reunited as
the 'Mats for the first Songs for Slim benefit EP, and their cover of "Busted Up" kicks off this sampler in sloppy but solid fashion, while former drummer
Chris Mars contributes his one-man band version of "Radio Hook Word Hit" as well as an original tune about
Dunlap, "When I Fall Down." Elsewhere, an impressive collection of roots rock heroes (
Jeff Tweedy,
Steve Earle,
Lucinda Williams,
Patterson Hood) and Minneapolis legends (Curtiss A with
the Young Fresh Fellows, the Suicide Commandos with
Frank Black on vocals) takes on
Dunlap's tunes and just about everyone on board hits a bull's-eye, finding the heart and the attitude that lurk in
Slim's music. Rockin' Here Tonight will hopefully raise some much-needed cash for a journeyman musician in need, but just as importantly, these performances show that
Dunlap was more than just another guy with a guitar -- he's a first-rate songwriter, and it's a pleasure to hear a handful of similarly gifted tunesmiths find so many worthwhile things in his work. ~ Mark Deming