Review: Dion Roy, Into The Day|An Indie Singer/Songwriter To Watch
Review by Cliff Clinton, E-zine Contributor/Blogger/Reviewer
Day four: I’m trapped in my house, unable to move. I hope that by sending this out, someone will be able to help me. I haven’t eaten, I haven’t moved, and quite honestly I’m OK with that. The problem lies with, really, Dion Roy. He did this to me. I can’t stop listening to his song “Bullets”, off of his new album Into The Day. Dion Roy might have made what is the early favorite for my favorite album of 2012 (as loyal readers know, this is a different award than EP of the year, which I thought Parker Ainsworth was an immediate candidate for). Into The Day is amazing throughout; yes, I actually listened to “Bullets” a whopping total of 26 times in the first day I got the CD, but the rest of the album is equally impressive, and it’s also great to know that it’s Roy’s first full length album. Also, it ends in a cover. It’s like Dion wrote this album for me, I swear.
Simply put, for an album to be successful, the vast majority of the songs need to be good. For an album to be great, nearly every song has to land on some level. I’ve yet to review a truly great album, and though I’m not sure if Roy’s album is there yet (only time can tell here), this comes awful close. Dion Roy is worth listening to because it’s not only a great solo effort, but it’s also a great studio effort. Roy works with a large number of instruments on Into the Day, and it never is anything but complimentary to the song. Roy is also confident enough as a songwriter to know where to concentrate his efforts. He’s not an amazing singer, but he doesn’t go for enough big notes or strain to reveal it. As you carefully listen, it’s evident he can sing and is good at it but, much like the many instruments, it’s more complimentary to the ensemble than trying to take any sort of lead or prove his superiority. His voice is likeable, it’s soft, it’s soothing, reminiscent of Howie Day or Daniel Bedingfield. I can’t stress enough how well it works as a composition. Songs like “Hey My Love” culminate to this big, beautiful chorus that can get any fan singing along with the memorable chorus. Even stripped down efforts like “Angie’s Song” deliver, and they deliver well.
Into the Day by Dion Roy is just a dynamite album. Dion has a unique voice, and while not every song knocked the ball out of the park, by and large this album is close to flawless for someone who loves the singer-songwriter genre. Roy is about one single or one grassroots campaign away from breaking out, but universally, a killer work worth buying.
To connect with Dion Roy: http://dionroy.com/
