''Yo Frankie'' is an album by the American musician Dion, released in 1989. The album marked a popular

comeback Comeback, The Comeback or Come Back may refer to: General * Comeback (publicity), a return to prominence by a well-known person * Comeback (retort), a witty response to an insult or criticism * Comeback (sports), an event where an athlete or team ...

for Dion, who had spent much of the 1980s recording Christian music.

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

, who had inducted Dion into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

a couple of months prior to the release of ''Yo Frankie'', was one of the many musicians who made guest appearances on the album. The album peaked at No. 130 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The lead single was "King of the New York Streets", which peaked at No. 74 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in May 1989. "Written on the Subway Wall"/"Little Star" (featuring

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

) peaked at No. 97 in October 1990.

Production

The album was produced by

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

. Dion cowrote many of its songs with the lyricist Bill Tuohy. Bryan Adams cowrote and produced "Drive All Night". A

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for " And the Night Stood Still" and "Written on the Subway Wall" (with

) aired on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

and

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

. In 2021, Dion released a blues version of "I've Got to Get to You" on his album ''

Stomping Ground ''Stomping Ground'' is Goldfinger's third official album that was released on March 28, 2000. The song "The End of the Day" contains a brief sample from the Dead Kennedys song "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." The album was produced by Tim Palmer and John ...

''.

Critical reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' called the album "merely pleasant, just like most of DiMucci’s post-Sixties solo work," writing that "it comes with all the spineless instrumentation and ersatz-doo-wop harmonies of a Huey Lewis single." The ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'' thought that "every time the New Yorker returns, it is as a new rock and roll character, each more believable than the last and through each, offering a significant contribution to pop." The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' wrote that "some of the tracks seem too polished and predictable, but the heart of the album—including the romantic innocence of 'And the Night Stood Still', the playful nostalgia of 'Written on the Subway Wall' and, especially, the wry introspection of 'King of the New York Streets'—bursts forth with a sense of triumph and survival." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' lamented the album's "overproduction," but wrote that the opening track's "combination of street-tough attitude wrapped in churning guitars and razor-sharp lyrics is riveting."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote that "the album fits together so well and coherently that the contemporary and the nostalgic elements merge seamlessly into a pleasing whole."

Track listing

Personnel

* Dion - vocals, guitar * Bryan Adams - backing vocals *

Phil Chen Phillip David Chen (21 October 1946 – 14 December 2021) was a Jamaican bassist. He was one of England's most utilized session bassists during the 1970s and 1980s, including Jeff Beck, and the Rod Stewart band from 1977 to 1980, but is prob ...

- bass *

- production, guitar *

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for f ...

- saxophone *

k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop (music), pop and country music, country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical perfor ...

- backing vocals *

Chuck Leavell Charles Alfred Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American musician. A member of the Allman Brothers Band throughout their commercial zenith in the 1970s, he subsequently became a founding member of the band Sea Level. He has served as the pri ...

- keyboards *

- backing vocals *

- backing vocals * Patty Smyth - backing vocals * Terry Williams - drums

References

{{reflist Dion DiMucci albums 1989 albums Arista Records albums