Dion Roy

"In an era of computers and technology Dion awakens my ears with his raw and natural talent....a wonderful soul with amazing energy pouring into his lyrics and music!!!" - Lindsay Klein

“In a crowded field of singer/songwriters, Dion Roy offers music that crackles with a refreshing point of view and a rich, immediately engaging voice. His intimate approach makes each song feel like a conversation with a close friend.” - Larry Flick

"In an era of computers and technology Dion awakens my ears with his raw and natural talent....a wonderful soul with amazing energy pouring into his lyrics and music!!!" - Lindsay Klein

“Dion Roy’s style is street urban but with a poet’s sensitivity.” - Jeff D’Arcy

New York’s Dion Roy is clearly a man who expresses himself best through his music. Described as somewhat guarded and totally without any sort of pretentiousness Dion simply lets his music do the talking.

The result is an instantly engaging, highly personal debut album, Gallery, written largely around his own life experiences he still manage to connect powerfully to the listeners own emotions.

Despite containing songs of failed relationships, troubled times, and unrequited love Gallery is anything but doom laden or morose. Instead Dion instantly draws us in with his warmth, honesty, and unfailing ability to write catchy and highly memorable choruses. This is the sort of CD that will have you annoyingly humming to everyone and anyone in the office without you even realizing it.

This is certainly the case with the opener “Come Back Around”. Inside its uptempo, pop based, hook riddled styling it would appear to be a song about addictive love. Dion is not one for lengthy introductions to his songs; he prefers to let the audience draw their own emotions and experiences from them. His writing radiates a glowing warmth, a genuine humanity, and a disarming honesty that makes him so instantly likeable.

Dion leans, clean cut, against his guitar case staring out into the mid-distance on the cover. Born in Namibia he was raised partly in South Africa and latterly in New Jersey. He has been busy playing the New York club scene creating a solid and growing following in the process. Gallery contains many of the songs that will be familiar to that fan-base who will be delighted they have now been freshly put down onto CD for the first time.

It is that word ‘fresh’ that best sums up Dion Roy. His music has an air of breezy ease about it as though songs just flows from him at all hours of the day or night. Beginning as a bass player in a band, he realized his gift for writing and ventured out alone. The result is a confident and well crafted debut, brimming with consistently strong songs, and of course nicely constructed bass lines.

Inside, a little more of him is amusingly revealed by delving into his list of acknowledgments, in particular his thanks to the ‘annoying’ downstairs neighbour for ‘grabbing her broomstick and pounding on the floor at 9pm….while I was recording the bass on this album.’ Dion goes on to thank her ‘for her contribution’. As I say, I like this guy's honesty.

After such a positive opening with “Come Back Around” you would be forgiven for expecting a slight dip in proceedings. Far from it. “Wants It” continues very much where its predecessor left off with an equally impressive song that sets the standard that the rest of the album maintains. It’s another doomed relationship song and as Dion sings, ‘she says she wants it, just not from me’, the honest men among us sigh in the knowledge that we can all identify with that.

“You Can’t Take” again confirms his writing credentials with a track that gently soaks into your subconsciousness. He is clearly a natural song writer with an equally natural talent for tapping straight in to the listeners emotions.

Gallery would appear to be the prefect title for this album. Each song leaves an impression like a photograph in an exhibition that stays implanted in your mind long after you have left. This particular Gallery is above all else consistent, confident, refreshing, and engaging. “Won’t Go On” has a deceptively powerful lyric that would have even the noisiest person in the audience ordering his drink quietly.

In a gizmo loaded, computer gadget world of over tinkering, this album’s strength is its simplicity. It celebrates the philosophy of letting the music do the talking above and beyond the trap of endless tweaking that others often fall into. Of course, this would only work with songs that have a stand alone strength to them.

If you need ‘sounds like’ references then take a little Pete Yorn, mix in an upbeat Elliott Smith, and add a little splash of Ryan Adams. It doesn’t stop there however and I can see why people also compare Dion to Snow Patrol’s song machine Gary Lightbody, or another UK band Keane. It’s that craft in the songs and the memorable choruses that help underpin that statement.

“Downwards” takes the album in a direction that belies its title. Meanwhile “Reconsider” introduces a little added colour with a subtle string arrangement. “So It Goes” has a simple yet strong emotionality to it. It arrives like a familiar friend and yet is one that you can’t possibly know. Not yet anyway.

“Blind World”, laments just that, whilst “I’ll Never Know” has a quirky bass line that has me wondering – is that the neighbour I can hear there in the background banging that broom? With a now familiar gift the song then opens out into yet another catchy chorus. Gallery ends with “Orchid” a gentle track enhanced by the addition of Kelsey ‘Junior’ Siegel’s lovely vocal.

Expertly crafted, simply constructed, infectiously catch - Jeff Perkins

"A fresh new take on the forum of folk rock, Gallery is a stellar debut by a talented artist that should break into the mainstream sooner rather than later." - Ryo Vie

"The songs on Roy's Gallery are often layered upon an acoustic guitar canvas, with multi-instrumental textures brushed in and Roy’s clear, rich voice atop it all. " - Muse's Muse

"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." - 17 Seconds Blog

"You've got a great voice, and I like both of these songs" May 3rd 2010, on air - Howard Stern - Howard Stern (Sirius Radio)

Dion Roy's debut is something special, routed in its' wonderful simplicity. while so many other singer-songwriter's fall into the trap of trying to be the new Dylan or worse, being so nakedly confessional, Roy's strength is that he is just himself. Like an Oasis in a world full of Mirage's, he doesn't waste his thirty five minutes trying to get into his stride or presented half-finsihed sketches, but instead gives us the finsihed genuine article. A man who could make us believe in the notion of the singer-songwriter again! - Ed Jupp

"You've got a great voice, and I like both of these songs" May 3rd 2010, on air - Howard Stern - Howard Stern (Sirius Radio)

Being the host on Indie on Air, I receive numerous submissions from indie artists that are hopeful to get air time. When I listened to Dion Roy, I knew I had a winner. Dion's talent was obvious to me and I plan on playing more of his music in the near future. I know that will make my listeners happy based on the great reaction "Come Back Around" provoked. Dion is going places and I am glad to help get him noticed by the masses. I look forward to Dion's success. - Jeff Popka

Being the host on Indie on Air, I receive numerous submissions from indie artists that are hopeful to get air time. When I listened to Dion Roy, I knew I had a winner. Dion's talent was obvious to me and I plan on playing more of his music in the near future. I know that will make my listeners happy based on the great reaction "Come Back Around" provoked. Dion is going places and I am glad to help get him noticed by the masses. I look forward to Dion's success. - Jeff Popka