Stomping Ground

by Dion

Overview

The follow-up to Dion's 2020 album Blues with Friends, 2021's Stomping Ground mirrors the previous album's template to the letter -- the great Bronx Blues singer writes a new batch of songs, he goes in to the studio with a big, bold band, invites some well-known friends and fans to sit in, and pours his soulful vocals over the top. Stomping Ground differs from its immediate precursor; while the earlier album featured a significant number of guest vocalists, this time around Dion mostly keeps the singing to himself, and a roll call of guitar heroes lend their talents to these sessions, while Boz Scaggs appears on "I've Got to Get to You," Patti Scialfa joins in on "Angel in the Alleyways," and "I've Been Watching" includes some soulful support from Rickie Lee Jones, whose harmonies with Dion sound like the work of a committed fan happy to be on hand. Stomping Ground was released by Joe Bonamassa's Keeping the Blues Alive label, and musically it isn't so far off from Bonamassa's usual approach, with big arrangements, plenty of horns and percussion, and enough flashy soloing that Dion occasionally threatens to become an afterthought on his own LP. While his voice has lost a considerable amount of its upper range over the years, thankfully he continues to sound strong and authoritative, and he has more than enough swagger in him to match the firepower of the soloists, who include Bonamassa, Mark Knopfler, Billy Gibbons, Peter Frampton, and Sonny Landreth. Dion is also a capable lyricist, and if these tunes don't often stray from the standard tropes of contemporary blues, they're plenty effective -- this is impressively forceful and full-bodied stuff, especially from an artist who was 82 when this was released. It would be nice to hear a more nuanced and stylistically diverse album from Dion (like 2005's Bronx in Blue or 2016's New York Is My Home), but there are more than enough great moments on Stomping Ground to remind us Dion is still a major talent over 60 years after scoring his first hit single. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	01/28/2022
Label:	Ktba Records
UPC:	0711574922819
Rank:	59837

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dion   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Steve Conn   Featured Artist
Sonny Landreth   Featured Artist
Billy Gibbons   Featured Artist
Boz Scaggs   Featured Artist
Joe Bonamassa   Featured Artist
Jimmy Vivino   Featured Artist
Eric Clapton   Featured Artist
Peter Frampton   Featured Artist
Rickie Lee Jones   Featured Artist
Keb' Mo'   Featured Artist
Bruce Springsteen   Featured Artist
Marcia Ball   Featured Artist
Patti Scialfa   Featured Artist
G.E. Smith   Featured Artist
Mark Knopfler   Featured Artist
Wayne Hood   Bass,Drums,Guitar,Featured Artist,Organ (Hammond)
Joe Menza   Featured Artist
Mike Menza   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Dion DiMucci   Composer,Producer
Rob Arthur   Photography
Jimi Hendrix   Composer
Adam Ayan   Mastering
Pete Townshend   Liner Notes
Dale Voelker   Package Design
Wayne Hood   Mixing,Arranger,Producer,Digital Editing,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Roger Kisby   Photography
Greg Miles   Photography
Bill Tuohy   Composer
Roy Weisman   Executive Producer
Astor Morgan   Photography
Chris Phelps   Photography
Mike Aquilina   Composer
Eleanor Jane Parsons   Photography
David Godlis   Cover Photo
Alison Hasbach   Photography
Joby Sessions   Photography
Terance McGough   Photography
Steve Celi   Photography