Dion Roy -‘Gallery.’ (Daily Honey)
Back in December, I came extremely close to chucking in the blog. I was fed up with takedown notices from the DMCA, and being used by people who were getting support from the blog only to turn round and mess me around. I’d been sent a CD of four tracks from America of four tracks by Dion Roy. As I sat down to mark in an empty classroom and feeling despondent about, well, everything, I thought I’d chuck on the CD and think of something nice to say to his friendly publicist when I emailed her to say I wouldn’t be doing the blog anymore.
It didn’t come to pass. The sampler was so strong that I started to remember why I was writing the blog. I may even have smiled at one or two points. The blog continued.
Dion Roy’s strength -and I mean this as a compliment – is in his simplicity. These are ten very nicely crafted songs. There is no ‘I wanna be the next Bob Dylan’ idiocy here, nor an ego that tries to cover up mediocre music. It’s ten straight down the line gorgeous pop songs. Is it sonic innovation? No, and nor does it claim to be nor need to be. But in a world of so many copycat singer-songwriters, on the strength of this debut, Dion Roy is the guy waiting patiently to quietly deliver something very strong.
My favourite track – and the opening on on the sampler that stopped me in my tracks at the tail end of last year is ‘Wants It.’ It typifies this album, slightly self-effacing and utterly endearing. After weeks of tearing my hair out, it makes me feel that there’s a meaning to this.
The lyrics are straightforward without being cliched -sometimes when you’re waiting for what might be an obvious rhyme, something else comes up instead. No rhyming fire with desire here. The voice is proof that easy on the ear does not equal easy listening, middle-of-the road naffness.
…So what are you waiting for?
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