The rock ‘n’ roll elder statesman DION released a fresh album titled ‘Blues With Friends’ last June via Keeping The Blues Alive Records
It featured 13 tracks with special guests including Billy Gibbons, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Beck, Paul Simon, Joe Bonamassa, Van Morrison, Brian Setzer, Sonny Landreth, Joe Louis Walker, Samantha Fish, Stevie Van Zandt and many more…
We thought his “Song For Sam Cooke” taken from that album was a “gentle acoustic strum, with lofty vocals, and a friendly sense of nostalgia…” and “I’ve Got To Get To You” had “an eager beat, lemon rind guitar and low scoops of greasy boogie…”
A new track (with accompanying video, shared below) has been released this week, titled “Angel in the Alleyways” and its taken taken from the brand-spanking new album “Stomping Ground” (produced by Wayne Hood with Dion) set for release on 5th November 2021.
“Angel in the Alleyways” was written by Dion and long-time collaborator Mike Aquilina and features “Mrs Bruce” singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Patti Scialfa and “the Boss” himself, Bruce Springsteen. It’s a glowing spiritual sounding, foot-stomping, churchly-karmic, rockin’ blues number with truly scrumptious blues-chorals and a sense of eternal, hope-filled, delivery from sin.
Guest artists appearing on other album tracks include Boz Scaggs, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Billy F Gibbons, Keb’ Mo’, Sonny Landreth, Joe Menza, Mike Menza, Marcia Ball, Jimmy Vivino, Rickie Lee Jones, Wayne Hood, Joe Bonamassa and G.E. Smith… and the new disc has liner notes by Pete Townshend which Dion describes as “amazing.”
About the 2021 album, Dion says: ““When I was young, I was always striving for accolades and admiration…”
“ I can’t imagine a better life than this…”
— Dion
“Those were my goals. But when I reached them, they didn’t satisfy. I discovered joy when I learned to stop caring about all that – when I learned to relax and make music with friends… music that would make more friends for us through its joy…”
“To make music with friends, and to make friends through music: I can’t imagine a better life than this. I am grateful to my friends who made Stomping Ground with me – and my new friends who are listening.”
Main Photo Credit © Steve Celi
Pre-order the album here: https://shop.jbonamassa.com/collections/dion-dimucci