Like wine and cheese, blues musicians often get better with age. At 82, Dion is beginning to have some maturity. His name doesn't originate from the superstar Quebecois singer, but the group Dion & the Belmonts, who in the late 1950s thrilled teenagers with their doo-wop songs, which were played out on the streets of New York. Dion DiMucci was a pioneer of the pop era, and has become a cult figure, and for the past fifteen years has been doing what all wise singer-guitarists do: returning to the blues. New York-style, thirsty twelve-bar blues with lots of electric guitars and upbeat choruses. A well-worn path, but still effective: the sound is unpretentious, unifying and has won him lots of friends. Like Blues With Friends, his previous album from 2020, Stomping Ground boasts quite a cast: from Clapton to Springsteen, Rickie Lee Jones, Mark Knopfler, Billy Gibbons, Joe Bonamassa to Peter Frampton and a handful of others, Dion is not short on rock legend accomplices. It could sound like a rehearsal for a future tribute album, but it's less solemn than that. Everyone is obviously playing very well, and Dion seems to be enjoying singing his timeless songs in such good company. © Stéphane Deschamps/Qobuz