Album Reviews

When this arrived I stated the obvious to myself “Why would I want to hear Dion sing the blues?” I can hear Robert Johnson do his own tunes, I can hear them “rock-a-fied” to great effect on any number of albums from the 1960’s, I can hear other blues greats, from Mississippi John Hurt to Howlin’ Wolf to Lightnin’ Hopkins, singing their originals and covers, some superbly recorded, and generally I was so down on this disc that I played it more to see how awful and/or pointless it was.

I figured I’d play a few cuts, and blow through the rest just to tell the publicist I listened, but a funny thing happened: I listened through the entire disc, all fourteen tunes. And then I played it again.

Dion, accompanying himself crisply on acoustic guitar, backed by the recording engineer on percussion, delivers the tunes in an unadorned utterly effective style. It works because Dion sings more “street” than affected “Southern black bluesman” style. And the guy has street creds.

The fourteen tunes are mostly familiar, and almost predictable: Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love,” “Crossroads,” “Terraplane Blues,” “Built For Comfort,” etc. but the magic of the blues and the brilliance of this surprising disc is that Dion makes them fresh, infusing them with an acoustic rock sensibility that plays transparently. He also covers Hank Williams’ “Honky Tonk Blues.”

Dion’s voice remains a supple, at times explosive instrument, sounding not much different than it did when he sang “Runaround Sue,” all those years ago. On “You Better Watch Yourself,” he holds one note a really long time, letting you know just how strong his pipes still play. Mr. DiMucci’s phrasing is impeccable, his emoting clean and honest, and his guitar playing (he plays a 1967 Martin OO21 and a more recent Taylor) is a model of clarity, rhythmic precision and dynamic subtlety.

You may not think you need another version of “Crossroads,” but you’ll be surprised to find that Dion brings it and the others to life yet again, moving them along at a brisk, edgy pace.

The sound is as honest and natural as the performance. It’s not “you are there” or “he is here” audiophile quality, but only because of the usual digital “scrim” and a lack of depth and “physicality.”

The liner notes by Bob Schneiders are refreshingly “academic,” as they used to be in the heyday of packaged media, though much of what’s stated will be obvious to anyone with even a passing interest in the blues.

This is a great disc that holds up to long term listening. It's great to hear a veteran of the early days or rock and roll still making vital music. Highly recommended!