Burton Cummings
Up Close & Alone 
1997 BC
CD (August 26, 1997)
Original Release Date: August 26, 1997
Label: Hip-O Records

Cummings unplugged, in a fashion, performing 18 songs from throughout his career on solo piano. Recorded in December 1995 in front of a small but very vocal and appreciative audience. The repertoire includes reprises of old Guess Who hits (including "Undun," awhere Cummings sounds, probably unintentionally, like a lounge singer deliberately taking the piss out of the tune) and a cover of "Ferry Cross the Mersey," as well as the brief and weird "Gordon Lightfoot Does Maggie May." Mostly it's his own compositions, though; not a recipe that's bound for success in the U.S., but one that worked quite well in Canada, where Cummings retains a devoted audience, and where this album went gold. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide