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R E V I E W S

Dion Blues With Friends KTBA Records ASIN:
B086XCX576

Dion (DiMucci) was a successful rock and roll star in the early 60s
whose star faded with the British invasion. In the last few decades

he’s reinvented himself as a blues artist and this new album sees
him playing 14 original songs, mainly blues rock, with a series of
guests including other blues artists such as John Hammond, Joe
Louis Walker and Samantha Fish, as well as big time rock stars
like Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Van Morrison – the

album’s liner notes are even written by old pal Bob Dylan!
We begin with ‘Blues Comin’ On’ (with Joe Bonamassa) - a rocking blues with Dion handling the
vocals while Joe adds tasty lead guitar, ‘Can’t Start Over Again’ is a more country-sounding ballad
with Jeff Beck on very subtle, restrained lead guitar. ‘I Got Nothin’’ has Dion sharing the vocals
with Van Morrison, while Joe Louis Walker adds the lead guitar and ‘Bam Bang Boom’, a loping
blues shuffle, features ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons on lead guitar. It’s not all blues rock though, ‘Song For
Sam Cooke (Here In America)’ is a more thoughtful, folky song with Dion and Paul Simon

celebrating Sam Cooke and ‘Hymn To Him’ features Dion with Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patti
Scialfa on a similar sounding song. ‘Told You Once In August’ is a nice acoustic blues with Dion in
the company of Rory Block and John Hammond and John also adds his harp to the rocking ‘My Baby
Loves To Boogie’.

Elsewhere Joe Menza, the Stray Cats’ Brian Seltzer, Jimmy and Jerry Vivino, Sonny Landreth,
Samantha Fish and Steve Van Zandt all add their guitars to other tracks giving the album lots of
variety as they each add their own unique sounds. I thought that this was an OK album with lots of
variety, some good playing and reasonable songs but surprisingly (given the people involved) I
didn’t find many of the tracks or performances particularly memorable.

Graham Harrison

Tony Holiday Soul Service Vizztone Records ASIN:
B085H68R7K

I really liked Utah-born but now Memphis-based Tony Holiday's

last album 'Porch Sessions' where he recorded bluesmen including
Charlie Musselwhite, James Harman, John Nemeth, Mitch
Kashmar, Ronnie Shellist etc. (plus himself) on their porches, it
was lo-fi but it had a definite down-home charm. Now he's back
with an album recorded at the Dickinson family's Zebra Ranch
Studio in Independence, Mississippi produced by Ori Naftaly
(Southern Avenue, Stax Records) and featuring Tony (lead vocals

and harmonica), his partner Landon Stone (guitars), Max Kaplan (bass), Danny Banks (of the John
Nemeth Band) (drums) and guest Victor Wainwright (piano).