Don DilegoPhotographs of 1971Grade: A
With all of the filler flooding today’s airwaves (particularly Laredo’s), it’s refreshing to discover an artist that sounds like he’d feel right at home not only on the local country radio station, but also on any independent station that Sirius or XM happens to be pushing. In other words, he’s got appeal and substance. That artist is Don Dilego.
Mr. Dilego is the nostalgic type as evidenced by the title of his album and the accompanying photographs. Furthermore, his inclusion of a Kinks cover (the amazingly well-done “I’m Not Like Everybody Else”) on his record alludes to his wish that music could still be as simple yet moving as it once was. However, Mr. Dilego knows that no matter how badly he wants to live in an “unrevivable” era, all he can do is look ahead. But that doesn’t mean he can’t dip into the past and draw inspiration from it. That’s exactly what he does on Photographs of 1971.
“Darling, you won’t ever see the coming of your destiny while you are always staring at the ground,” Dilego croons to a fictional(?) girl named Maria on the albums most up-tempo track, “Falling into Space.”
The track speaks volumes about Dilego’s ability to craft finely written pop songs with country and folk tools that many artists might cast aside. His high-pitched vocals in the song’s bridge border on the amazing and the annoying. But those kinds of chances are what make an artist stand out. Furthermore, the use of pedal steel guitar and well-placed tambourine make the song come alive; the drums beat out like a native tribe that just discovered what it means to be a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. The song hits like a revelation. If you let the it grab you, you might find yourself waving your hands in the air and shouting along with Dilego.
“Maria, you are lovely too.”
Dilego almost seems to be talking to everyone and everything.
Throughout the album, Dilego employs a pleasant falsetto that creates the mood of his mostly melancholic and sweet songs.
On “My Misery is a Fairy Tale,” a song dedicated to Willie Nelson, Dilego personifies his own misery as he awaits other tortured souls to keep it company. Like a true artist, he uses his own experiences and emotions in an effort to make connections with the listener.
“Knowing that you will wait puts a smile on my aching face.”
Looks like Dilego’s misery will be waiting for a while. The man’s happy with who he’s got.
As previously mentioned, something religious, or at least spiritual, pervades the album. In fact, Dilego includes three compositions that he calls Hymns 1, 2, and 3. However, not your typical church songs, the tracks act as personal prayers and musical pictures of various family members; it’s an interesting and innocent gesture.
And if there’s one thing that makes Don Dilego so compelling, it’s that innocence. He sounds like he could just as easily charm you with a conversation rather than a country tune. That’s not a bad way to be.