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Dion—Stomping Ground—KTBA 92282

Dion’s cut some fine blues over the last couple of decades – say
nothing of his 60s career, when he was balancing a career as a teen
heart-throb and cutting some fine blues even back then. This set

finds him on Joe Bonamassa’s label with a bunch of stellar names,
including the label boss himself, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler,
Marcia Ball, Billy Gibbons, Rickie Lee Jones, and many others – no
disrespect to anyone omitted, the guests here are most definitely

all top-notch.

It’s not quite a blues-rock set though there are certainly elements
of this, dependent on the guests mostly – certainly a track like the slow-ish, wistful, ‘There Was A

Time’, with Peter Frampton guesting and supplying some fine guitar work, is nonetheless a singer’s
song, and Dion certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Personal favourites include ‘Cryin’ Shame’ with Sonny Landreth excelling on his trademark slide
guitar, the tribute to New Orleans’ Doctor John that is ‘That’s What The Doctor Said’ with Sonny’s

piano player Steve Conn superb on the 88s, and ‘My Stomping Ground’ with Billy Gibbons really getting
right into the rollicking groove. ‘Angels In The Alleyways’, with Bruce Springsteen and Patty Scialfa
has a fine, slightly downhome feel, whilst ‘I’ve Got To Get To You’, with Boz Scaggs, has something
of a Chuck Berry feel. ‘Red House’ is the Hendrix composition and features Keb’ Mo’ in excellent form

on slide, channeling Elmore James.

So yes, everyone pulls out all the stops here. The result is indeed a joyous and joyful release.

Norman Darwen

Mississippi MacDonald—I Was Wrong —APM (Digital Single)

(www.mississippimacdonald.com)

This is a taster for Mr MacDonald’s upcoming album due in
November, and if the standard is as high as this, it should certainly

be worth a listen. ‘I Was Wrong’ is a very fine blues performance,
a little like a Jimmy Reed number reinterpreted by Malaco in the
80s maybe, with big horns, cool Hammond organ, backing vocals
and some sharp guitar licks in an Albert King bag - not the kind of

thing you’d expect from a kid from Reading. Nor is the fact that he
was also responsible for the headstone on southern soul great O.
V. Wright’s grave.

And that name? Well, he was the only kid in school who knew much about America. On this evidence,
he also clearly knows a thing or two about the blues…

Norman Darwen