Listen to The Dio Album by Paul Gilbert here

 

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Paul Gilbert, master shredder for Racer X, Mr. Big as well as his own prolific solo career, has recorded an entire album of songs made famous by Ronnie James Dio, whether it be with his own band Dio or the other musical projects he was a part of, like Rainbow or Black Sabbath. But, instead of hiring a singer, or even singing the songs himself, Gilbert has decided to perform the songs as instrumentals, with his guitar playing the vocal melody lines originally sung by Ronnie.

This is certainly an odd musical project... But the oddest thing about it is that is works. It works as a tribute to the man, it works as a guitar album, and it works as a straight-up hard rock record, because these songs are timeless classics.

Are these versions as good as the originals? Of course not, because they lack Ronnie's soaring vocals and fantasy lyrics. But they are a fun and reverent re-reading of the canon, and a perfect illustration of the old adage that a great guitarist knows how to make a guitar sing.

Listen to The Dio Album in the embedded Apple Music player below or by clicking HERE.

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