Search - Pat Dinizio, Buddy Holly :: Pat Dinizio & Buddy Holly

Dinizio once again proves why he's one of the most talented

David K. Smith | Wisconsin | 02/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Part of DiNizio's appeal has always been the honesty with which his songs come across. He's an artist who has never hidden his love for the music that has clearly inspired and influenced his own work. He seems to fully embrace the fact that he's a fan of rock n' roll as much as he is one of its premier talents.



I'll confess that I was a little curious to see how Pat would handle what I had previously considered to be the "untouchable" recordings of Buddy Holly...untouchable in the sense that it was hard for me to imagine anyone recording anything remotely close to the freshness and energy with which Holly himself recorded songs like "Words of Love," "Listen To Me," "Peggy Sue," or "That'll Be the Day." Others have tried but never, in my opinion, has anyone come close to reproducing Holly's magic. Pat DiNizio has not only captured that magic in his rendering of these songs, but he has seemed to reinvent them the way that I imagine Buddy himself would have done had he had the opportunity.



You could hardly find two more different vocalists than Holly and DiNizio. Holly's voice was full of youthful energy and had an everyman quality to it...his voice made me feel like I could sing a Buddy Holly song and sound ok at it. DiNizio's voice is deep and earthy, nazel-y one second, belly-of-the-whale deep the next. It's a beautiful instrument, one of the most distinctive in rock.



I've listened to this CD numerous times since receiving it and it sounds as absolutely fresh and dynamic as the first time. This is a tribute album that seems more like a true collaboration between the recording artist (DiNizio) and the source artist (Buddy Holly). Thus far it's my favorite of the year and is sure to be one of the best releases of 2009."

I dare you!

Gene R. Obrien | Union, New Jersey | 01/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I dare you! I dare you NOT to be moved by Pat's take on True Love Ways. This alone is worth the price of the album. If the rest of the album weren't new, stunning takes on the Buddy Holly catalog, Pat's vocal on True Love Ways alone accompanied by the string quartet would be worth hitting the "Buy Now" button. It is a real heart-breaker if you have ever experienced that emotion to any degree. If you have someone you love, grab them and have a nice slow dance with them. Pat's version of True Love Ways can evoke BOTH emotions, deep love and real heart-break. I don't know how he does it. The Man is a Master!



The rest of the album? Geez, anyone who can summon up the legendary Bobby Vee and Charlie Calello to help out with the vocals and strings must have a little black book that has to be the envy of musicians everywhere. You've heard these songs over and over, year after year. Not like the way they are done here. Oh no sir! Pat Dinizio understands these songs, lives them and breathes them. The life that he gives these songs is as if they are being heard for the first time. When you can take these songs and make them sound as if they are brand new, you know they are in the hands of a man who loves them as if they were his own family.



These songs are Pat's heart. They are his life. They are his soul. These are the songs that inspired him and challenged his own songwriting with The Smithereens. We all know the hits that resulted from that challenge. Just take a look!

From Jersey It Came! The Smithereens Anthology



Do yourself a favor and get Pat Dinizio/Buddy Holly. For Valentine's Day. For all year round. For yourself. For another.



For your soul.

"

Deck The Halls With Bows For Holly!

TAS | 01/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Despite a short musical career that was nipped in the bud by his untimely death on February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly's music still managed to influence many musicians over the years. Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens was one such writer/musician whose life was changed forever that day in 1979 when he bought a vinyl copy of Buddy Holly's second album. Reportedly, he was so moved by what he heard in those grooves that he was inspired to write his own songs with a similar "no-nonsense" Buddy Holly pop writing approach. Pat even went so far as to wear horn-rimmed glasses like Buddy, play a Buddy Holly Model Reissue Fender Stratocaster, write the song "Maria Elena" as an homage, and to buy Buddy's Ampex reel-to-reel tape recorder and microphone at a Sotheby's auction in 1991.



So who better to record a heartfelt tribute to one of his musical idols than Pat DiNizio for this 50th anniversary year of Buddy Holly's death? The first indication that this isn't going to be just some rote collection of Buddy Holly cover tunes becomes obvious immediately when the beautiful lilting strings begin to waft from the intro to the CD's opening track "Words of Love". The album's stunning new orchestrations by famed string arranger Charles Calello perfectly complement the unbridled emotion in Pat's vocals. The arrangements accompanying "Well Alright" manage to swing and rock while "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" builds to a rollicking crescendo. Calello's totally original orchestral arrangements and Pat DiNizio's vocals allow us to hear these familiar songs anew but without straying too far from their classic origins.



Pat does not try to emulate Buddy's singing style or his trademark hiccup vocals on this album. However, the songs still seem like a perfect match when seamlessly meshed with DiNizio's passionate vocals, the authentic Buddy Holly-era guitar playing and the lush orchestrations. One need only listen to Pat's rendition of "Raining in My Heart" (with its Beatles/Jeff Lynne influenced production) or the majestic "True Love Ways" as irrefutable proof that he has lived with these songs in his head and in his heart for most of his life. Listeners will inevitably become swept-up (and perhaps even choked-up) by the raw emotion in his voice as he sings these and other Holly classics that still hit you with a wallop after all of these years. Bobby Vee (who filled-in on the ill-fated tour after Holly's death) lends vocal support on "Listen To Me" and contributes a moving essay to the accompanying CD booklet. Although a string quartet is used throughout most of this album, "Heartbeat" is one notable guitar-driven exception. The brilliantly performed acapella doo-wop arrangement of "That'll Be The Day" with Pat and four other seasoned vocalists is another.



This is one of those rare albums that is genuinely worthy of being called a tribute in every sense of the word. Pat DiNizio and producer Kurt Reil have crafted a remarkable CD that is a tribute not only to Buddy's talent but to their own skills as well. As long as there are true "keepers of the flame" like Pat DiNizio around to pay proper homage to this musical genius, Buddy Holly's music will continue to rave on and not fade away.

"