''The Old New Me'' is the debut album by the American musician and former Replacement

Slim Dunlap Robert Bruce "Slim" Dunlap (August 14, 1951 – December 18, 2024) was an American rock musician. He was a Minnesota-based guitarist and singer-songwriter who was best known as a member of the Replacements from 1987 to 1991, replacing original ...

, released in 1993. Dunlap promoted the album by opening for

Dramarama Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ' ...

on a North American tour.

Production

The album was produced by

Peter Jesperson Peter Jesperson is an American music industry businessman from Minneapolis, Minnesota, known for his involvement in discovering the Replacements, and for later serving as their manager. He also co-founded Twin/Tone Records along with Paul Stark an ...

and

Brian Paulson Brian Paulson is an American record producer and audio engineer from Minnesota, best known for recording albums by Slint, Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Superchunk and Wilco. Paulson grew up in Bemidji, Minnesota, but moved about 200 miles south to ...

. It was recorded over four nights, for less than $5,000.

Chan Poling Chandler Hall "Chan" Poling (born October 3, 1957) is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the leader of Minneapolis punk/New Wave group The Suburbs. Early life and education Chandler Hall Poling was born in 1957 in Evanston, Il ...

and

Paul Westerberg Paul Harold Westerberg (born December 31, 1959) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the Replacements. Following the breakup of the Replacements, Westerberg launched a solo career that saw him r ...

contributed to ''The Old New Me''. Dunlap wrote 10 of the album's 11 songs, closing with a cover of

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana, United States) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also ...

's "Love Lost". "The Ballad of the Opening Band" was inspired by the Replacements' experience opening for

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

on his ''Full Moon Fever'' tour.

Critical reception

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' wrote: "Singing ''Exile''-era Stones melodies in a pleasantly artless voice that could pass for Keith Richards on a good night, Dunlap chugs back raunch-a-roll energy with earnest effort and an invigorating dose of retro flair." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' thought that Dunlap "takes the stance of a weathered but wry observer who has seen hard knocks but has kept his compassion and his sense of humor through circumstances that might have left others bitter and jaded." The ''

Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the List of newspapers in the United States, seventh- ...

'' opined that "it's a refreshing, unpretentious roots-rock excursion with inventive guitar work that grows on you with each listening." ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'' called the album the best of the initial Replacements solo projects, writing that, "when everyone has finished deconstructing Westerberg's lyrics and analyzing his tortured observations, it's ''The New Old Me'' they'll come back to for a shot of good old, gut-level rock and roll." ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' concluded that the album "strips down to rowdy, gut-bucket basics." The ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'' determined that "Westerberg and his grainy vocals save some of the songs, but otherwise they flash by unobtrusively, with few lyrical or emotional stop signs."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

called the album "a rootsy, engaging ride," writing that it "ends on a gracefully elegiac note with a guitar instrumental, 'Love Lost'."

Track listing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Old New Me Slim Dunlap albums 1993 debut albums Twin/Tone Records albums