BEGINNER'S PLUCK

Peter Buck and Krist Novoselic pick their gigs carefully. Cuban blues hound Hector Tellez Jr. got them both - for his debut.

- JOE BOSSO

HECTOR TELLEZ JR. is pinching himself. Just a few years ago, the guitarist and singer was in an uphill battle to find a receptive audience for his hard-driving brand of blues rock in his native Cuba. Fast-forward to today: He's relocated to Nashville, signed with an American manager and recorded a dynamite debut album, The Great Unknown (Mono Mundo Recordings/Thirty Tigers), on which he's joined by two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers: R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Nirvana's Krist Novoselic. "This is the kind of thing that only happens in dreams," Tellez says. "You never actually think that it's possible." While laying down tracks for the album, Tellez told his producer, Barrett Martin (known for his work with the Screaming Trees and Mad Season), that he wanted to play bass. "I gave it a shot, but I quickly realized that I'm not a bass player," he says. "Barrett said he wanted to send the tracks to Krist Novoselic, and then he mentioned Peter Buck playing some guitar, as well. I thought, There's no way they'll play on my album; they're legendary dudes. But they both immediately said, 'We love these songs and want to play on them. I was floored."

Together and separately, Buck and Novoselic perform on the lion's share of tracks on The Great Unknown, but the star of the show is Tellez himself, who emerges as a major talent. A powerhouse vocalist (he sings mostly in English), he's also a dynamic guitarist: His fiery wah solos on the stonerrock bruiser "Shiny Blue Jellyfish" and the walloping grunge gem "Leave Me Lowdown" are just two examples. But he has other stylistic arrows in his quiver. "Lonely Road"  (featuring Buck on mandolin) is a poignant rootsy vehicle for his aching blues leads, and the '70s-flavored soul groover "Ten Million Ways" finds him deftly channeling Nile Rodgers' ace rhythm hand.