Artist:     Dion

Album:     Blues With Friends

Label:     Keeping The Blues Alive (KTBA) Records

Release Date:     6.05.2020

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Dion DiMucci is not one of the first names that comes to mind when I think of the blues. Yes, that Dion of Dion and the Belmonts, the king of Doo Wop and one of rock ‘n’ roll’s earliest icons. The fact that Dion slipped off my radar is my fault because he’s been at it all these years, with a particular fondness for the blues. His latest effort, Blues With Friends, is just that: a celebration of the genre with several outstanding artists including Van Morrison, Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen.

Dion’s vocals influenced many of these and other singer-songwriters who followed his success in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The 14 tracks on Blues With Friends aren’t covers of blues standards—they’re all original compositions crafted by Dion for the album. The star power of his many friends lends support in terms of sonic firepower and vocal depth. “Blues Comin’ On” kicks things off with Joe Bonamassa on guitar and is one of the album’s strongest songs. Dion shares vocals with Van Morrison on “I Got Nothin,” another favorite track, and recalls his roots on “Song for Sam Cooke,” supported by Paul Simon. The Boss and Patti Scialfa add harmony on “Hymn to Him,” a reminder of Dion’s spiritual period following his early success.

As expected on any serious blues effort, there’s plenty of great guitar here: Jeff Beck on “Can’t Start Over Again,” Billy Gibbons on “Bam Bang Boom” and Brian Setzer on “Uptown Number 7.” Other contributors include John Hammond, Sonny Landreth, Rory Block and Jimmy Vivino. Apologies to anyone I’ve left out, but there are too many notables here to list. Still, don’t let the marquee names obscure the fact that Dion is the star here with so many great artists in his orbit. He was one of the originals, and still is.

—Lou Montesano