Customer Reviews

New Masters

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An interesting concept juxtaposed from his recent Deja Vu album recorded with minimal technology to recreate the sounds of the Doo Wop era, New Masters is an amalgam of some new material, covers, (many done splendidly especially Ben E King's "Stand By Me") and some re-creations of Dion originals with the added technological assistance of digital enhancement.

Having said that let me reassure you that this is a terrific album with Dion's voice as perfect as ever, some new lyrics added now and then and arrangements to make all the songs sound fresh and new. He is the King of the New York Streets and can play guitar with the best of them. If you can't sing along with these remastered gems then you might as well be dead cause Dion Dimucci can still rock!

I remember well the nights I saw him hone his act at the Flick in Coral Gables, Fla (adjacent to the U of Miami) and I asked him how he was adjusting to South Florida....his response was it was like being in the "sixth borough of NY" and the only thing he couldn't get was the "sweat stains the Santas had at Christmas time" due to the heat/humidity of Fla.

This guy is a street poet/comedian and deserves to have a shot at A & E's "Live by Request" with Lou Reed, the Boss and Paul Simon singing backup....maybe even the Everly's could appear and Mark McEwen would just LOVE this kind of show. C'mon A & E...get with it!

Dion is as contemporary as he is a pioneer in the world of folk, gospel, blues (plays a mean acoustic guitar) and pop. He aint no Celine Dion (thank heaven),he IS the BRONX SOUL PRINCE from Belmont Ave. and I for one wish he would tour more often....OR AT LEAST MAKE SOME TV APPEARANCES.

He still has the chops and the attitude. Dam-diddly-dam-diddly Oh -Oh -oooh! the story can be told with.......luckiest guy in the human race. We're lucky he still is recording.
Buy it!
SING BACKUP!

I remember Dion's hits very well and I have the original versions of them from the doo wop "I Wonder Why" to "Abraham, Martin And John" and I still can't explain why I bought this cd. And I wondered why Di would re-record his old hits. How could he improve them? I guess I bought New Masters out of curiousity more then anything. The first cut I listened to was "Runaround Sue" and I thought "It sounds like the original no it doesn't". By that I mean the voice is sounding as good as ever, the musicians are top notch, and it's like hearing an old song for the first time. And the rest of his hits here are the same. The songs are longer then the original cuts and though sounding absolutely faithful to his first recordings, there is a difference. Maybe it's that he updated these songs by giving them a Bronx blues sound. Everyone of them still has an attitude plus these songs show that he still can do it with feeling. Included are two new songs. "Behind Susan's Eyes" was written for his wife and the album closes with "Come Heal This Land" written by Robin Mark which was inspired by the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Included are cover versions that while not sounding like the original versions, still take on a life of their own. I think Carl and Del would say, "Thanks for remembering." Some of the songs carry a surprise or two with lyrics tacked on that aren't listed such as a short segment of "She Thinks I Still Care" included in "Lovers Who Wander" and "Crocodile Rock" within "Donna The Prima Donna". I remember the old hits and love them, but if someone unfamiliar with Di's music asked me whether they should buy the original hits or "New Masters", I'd have to tell them that I don't know. This album is that good.

Simply put, this is a great album. I am blown away by "Drip Drop" and "Ruby Baby." every song is longer than the original. Since I'm into concerts, I am used to songs sung differently. Here Dion stays true to the originals yet the songs are stronger, longer and bluesier. I highly recommend it.

This CD has a very interesting concept.Two songs are brand new songs of his own.Some are updated versions of his old classics with the Belmonts.Others are cover versions of classic hit songs from other artists.The sound of his new version of"Teenager In Love"almost made me feel like crying.My other two favourite tracks are his renditions of"Stand By Me"and"Runaway".I love the sound of the hammond organ in the latter.

Rock on Dion!

Dion's voice seems to get better with age. Although the remakes are not dramatically different from the originals, it is so interesting to hear them again with just a subtle differences in arrangement and a bluesier, more professional sound quality.

I could listen to himj recite the phone book.

Dion is simply the best

I love the oldies and this is better than " 5 STARS ". What a great selection of songs and I thought I would wear it out so I bought a second copy as a backup. Believe me this is well worth the purchase. In fact I have the concert DVD called Dion "Live" at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. This is why I purhase the CD's.

As a long time fan of Dion, I must say after 40 plus years that voice has turned from gold to platinum. His 2 new offerings are superb. Behind Susans Eyes is especially telling of a warm and wonderful love affair.
When I first heard Heal This Land it blew me away. Dion's writing, arrangements, and Oh That Voice.
What can be said about the old standards. Ususally people say, don't mess with perfection, but it would seem to me Dion believes Don't Let The Good Be The Enemy Of The Best. The music may not have changed much, but Dion's voice has matured and comes across like pure silk. Real smooth.
If you have not listened to his music in a long time or have never listened to his music, this is a MUST! If you are not a fan, you will be.
Dion is presently doing a tour, if he gets to your area, it is a show worth seeing. For the younger audience, this is not a has been rock star. HE ROCKS!!!!

This is the ultimate Dion album. No wonder he's in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. I never would have thought the originals could be improved but the new arrangements by Dion proved me wrong. Has to be listened to to be believed. "Behind Susan's Eyes" has a nice beat.(A great tribute to his wife a/k/a "Runaround Sue" and a native Vermonter!)

Over the years Dion may not have produced any real significant new music, but his "sound" has gotten better. Listening to this album reminds you how good his early songs were. Each song has been updated with stronger rhythm, background and horns; and frankly rock even better than the orginial version. If you want to own one Dion album, this is it. "I Wonder Why," "Where or When," and even "Teenager in Love" have a fresh-almost new sound to them. As the "Bronx Poet" likes to say: Rock On.

This CD is interesting to say the least as Dion does place an interesting twist on a number of his old hits. They are fresh and wonderful to listen to. His new covers are pretty good as well. Not just vocally, but the arrangements as well. Music is great and the back up singers are damn good too!

While this CD is not as good as Deja Nu, it deserves 5 stars nonetheless.