The Ottawa-based guitarist Tony D (Tony Diteodoro) has been a masterful guitarist for more than forty years. Most recently revered for his participation in the award-winning swamp blues trio, MonkeyJunk, Tony has now released his own album, Electric Delta, on Cordova Bay Records. 

The album features 10 tracks which showcase Tony’s talents across a wide range of styles and genres. The album is a true Canadian collaborative effort, with contributions from six recording studios in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Alberta. The album opens with “There’s A Chance,” a song that takes the listener on a ride in a convertible with the top down through the California desert, from Las Vegas to L.A. The hard-driving guitar licks match the imagery of racing through the desert and feeling the hot wind blow against your face. Tony’s playful yet insightful capacity to convey the song’s story is nothing less than extraordinary. 

Muddy Waters’ “Can’t Be Satisfied” highlights Tony on slide guitar along with his longtime partner-in-crime, Steve Marriner, on harmonica. Stacie Tabb also delivers a beautiful background vocal throughout the song, the combination resulting in a raw and authentic sound that would certainly make Muddy proud of their efforts. The lion’s share of the tracks were recorded at Fang Studios in Dartmouth NS, while Steve Marriner laid down his harmonica riffs from the Ganaraska Recording Company, the studio he shares with Jimmy Bowskill located in Baltimore, ON. 

“NAS,” one of three instrumentals on the album, is my personal favorite as it quintessentially demonstrates just what a tasty, psychedelic guitar player Tony can be. Accompanied by Ottawa-based Joe Hawkins on bass, the euphemistic title succinctly and accurately relates just how much fun it can be to play music. 

“Highway 7” is an energetic anthem to the excitement and anticipation Tony felt in his early years touring throughout Southern Ontario. The song’s rhythm and guitar work display the enthusiasm of young musicians traveling to out-of-town gigs. It features drummer Geoff Arsenault (Matt Andersen & The Big Bottle Of Joy), singer Dana Wylie (Seondhand Dreamcar), and a very capable Kim Dunn on a Wurlitzer.

“Pueblo,” a straight-ahead blues rock instrumental, features MonkeyJunk drummer Matt Sobb. Tony and Matt have been playing together for almost twenty years and the familiarity of their sound is immediately recognizable to anyone who knows MonkeyJunk. One of Tony’s own compositions, “Josephine,” starts out in the style of a Jerry Lee Lewis romp and then transitions into a joyful rollicking jam between Tony demonstrating his rockabilly guitar mastery and Kim Dunn on the piano. The album ends with a beautiful tribute to the blues masters of the 20th Century. “Kings,” a slow blues groove featuring Tony getting down and dirty, pays homage not only to the Three Kings (Albert, B.B., & Freddie), but also to the countless other musicians who created the electric sounds we deeply understand as Blues from the Delta. Kim Dunn is also featured playing a beautiful Hammond B3. 

Tony D’s first effort on Cordova Bay Records shows just how much fun he has whenever he is playing, and his joy is shared by his listeners. In contrast to the album’s opening song title, “There’s A Chance,” Electric Delta is most certainly guaranteed to be Tony’s finest work to date. (Mark Stenzler)