Déjà Nu - Dion DiMucci
|
Review by Greg Herriges When I was a kid, after school one day (a mostly Italian Catholic school where Dion was considered a defacto fourth member of the Trinity), I ran to the record store to pick up an unheard, just-released copy of "Ruby Baby," and then had to endure a maddeningly slow bus ride home before I could blast my new single at top volume on the hi-fi, dreaming rock dreams while my mother hollered at me to "Turn that noise down!" I may not be a teenager anymore, and I may not be able to sprint to the record shop, but I've got my new copy of Dion's DÉJÀ NU, and it's almost an even trade. Only this time I just popped the CD in the player of my new sportster (that DiMucci voice never changes!), put the top down, cruised an extra 10 miles, and for a while it was 1958--with the added benefit of technology. Getting old has its plusses. The concept here is dizzying--a 1950's rock star does a retro version of retro rock 'n' roll, an acoustic hall of mirrors. It's similar to McCartney's RUN DEVIL RUN, with an important distinction. These aren't cover versions--with the exception of one they are original songs that Dion MIGHT HAVE recorded back then. Take a listen--they're even better than many of those old Belmonts' tracks, and they've got the feel. Okay--so the band is a throw-away, all that much more authentic. You've got your honky-tonk piano, your hallway sax, your lonely snare--and DiMucci. It's like being in the Bronx without risking your life. In his truncated heyday, Dion was known for releasing double-sided hits, and if one were to be culled from this collection, it would be the rousing "Hey Suzy" and the heart-piercing "In New York City" combo platter. It's been said that DiMucci doesn't believe he can sing a respectable harmony to himself, but he can, and he does it better than ever on the former title. The latter tune is a doo-wop masterpiece that I bet he wishes he would have written 37 years ago, so beautiful is the melody, so pliant the vocal. The other golden delight is "Every Day." It may take a few listens to understand why, but there is a degree of honesty here, a break from the heavily stylized code of the anthology, just enough to showcase a really original jewel of a song. And if you're a real Dion fan, you may hear welcome echoes of "You're Mine" (the flip side of "Donna The Prima Donna") in "If You Wanna Rock & Roll." Dion has deftly guided the direction and motif of this project, melding an old sound with new material to create a time machine for some of us who will not let those early years of rock slip away, not without a fight, anyway. To get an extra track, "If I Should Fall Behind," be sure to buy the US version on the COLLECTABLES imprint. --Greg Herriges |
 |