Rob Dillon may be a Canadian who spent a good deal of his career life working in the technology field before returning to music, but his CD, The One, is sincerely influenced by American blues and country. Although blues and country take up the lion’s share of these tracks, many different musical roots styles are touched upon throughout. And it’s an enjoyable journey, as well.  Dillon began as a teen guitar prodigy. He was so good, in fact, his guitar teacher eventually asked him to play in his band. His new CD is nicely balanced out with jumping blues songs, country laments, and folk-ish touches. He performs each variety well.

The disc opens with “Pride and Joy”, which was first made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band Double Trouble back in the early ‘80s. For starters, it takes a lot of guts to cover a Vaughan song, as that man was one of the greatest modern bluesmen of our time. But Dillon carries it off with style and grace, and sounds perfectly comfortable singing and playing the tune. This track also shows off Dillon’s guitar skills, which are ample. But you never get the feeling he’s trying to show off. After all, the best guitarists always seem to make the difficult appear easy, and that’s precisely what happens during this recording.

“The Stars of White Cedars”, however, shows off a completely different side of Dillon’s varied musical personality. With its guitar, fiddle, and harmonica, this one is a gentle little folk instrumental. It was written to express how Dillon feels about the gorgeous night stars at the White Cedar’s Campground in Dacre, Ontario. As this sweet tune rolls right along, it’s easy to imagine using this music as a soundtrack for a little contemplative stargazing.

Dillon is also adept at playing music that is just plain and simple dance fare. The track “Squeezebox Song” is exactly what its title would lead you to believe – a hot stepping dance number. While not anything close to any hardcore Cajun stomp, this song nevertheless makes you want to get up and move a bit. After all, that’s the whole point.

In a few places, Dillon even gets a little personal with his music. One titled “Lynn’s Song”, for instance, is about a friend that recently passed away too soon. It is clear Dillon misses her greatly, especially when he sings, “I cry out to you/Please help me write this song.” After the death of this good friend, Rob has put effort into raising money for the fight against cancer, the illness that took her life. And as we’ve all been touched by cancer, in one way or another, it’s easy to understand why such a song is so important to Dillon. Furthermore, “Renfrew” is a country song where Dillon recalls his grandfather playing the fiddle, as well as other familial recollections. As he says it, this song is all about “small town memories,” and is intended as a tribute to the town of Renfrew, Ontario, Canada where Dillon is from.

Rob Dillon’s The One is not intended to change the music world as we know it. He’s not trying to be the next Dylan; he doesn’t even spell his last name the same way. Instead, he set out to make a personal statement about the people, places, and music he loves. And at that goal, he succeeds easily. It’s a little like a musical letter from home, where you don’t need to know a whole lot about the guy to get a good first impression of what he’s all about. With that said, this assessment takes nothing away from the obvious quality of his music. We’ve all received letters and emails from people that just can’t write, right? And although it’s wonderful to hear from them, it sometimes can be a trial just understanding what they’re trying to say. Yet Dillon has composed his little note from home skillfully and artfully. Even if you don’t give a rip about his life – and shame on you if you don’t – it’s impossible not to feel good after listening to Dillon’s personalized dispatch.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

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