Street Opera
“Michael Dinallo’s new album, Street Opera, is his latest, and to me his most personal. I know it might seem odd for an instrumental album, but listen to it and tell me it’s not heartfelt. His “A Christmas Waltz” reminds me of growing up listening to Chet Atkins and even Al Caiola. Those early sounds stick with us for life. Street Opera is nostalgic without being stuck in the past. It invites you to sit down and listen for a while.”
-Johnny Phillips, Memphis International Records
“Michael Dinallo’s lifetime of delving deeply into all music shines through on every song. He creates magical moments, in this collection of instrumentals, that flow perfectly together for flawless listening.”
-Nancy Foster, Absolutely Americana
“In Street Opera, Michael Dinallo has crafted a beautiful seven song compilation of guitar melodies that weave a fabric of rich moods and rhythms with musical ideas and classic sounds that are both soothing and satisfying.”
-Duke Robillard
When I released The Night’s Last Dance in October 2024, the last thing I expected was to be releasing a second instrumental album fifteen months later. But, here we have it: Street Opera. Both albums are available on Memphis International Records.
Things come in threes. But, at first I was planning on just two – one book and one album – both to be called The Night’s Last Dance. And, they were to be released simultaneously. Obviously, that didn’t happen. Life got in the way. I felt the need to release The Night’s Last Dance album when I did, which I believed was fine because the book would follow in short order. And, sure enough, that didn’t happen either. Through plenty of turmoil, I kept writing essays and poems. Obviously, I was not done. One day in early September 2024, I picked up a guitar and played a simple line that I had played hundreds of times before. Six hours later, at about 2am, I had a song that would become “Hymn for Miles.” On Christmas morning 2024, I wrote “A Christmas Waltz,’ which was the last song written in this batch. Conceived in a land stripped of whatever beauty or charm it once had, and much like its preceding sister, Street Opera only presented itself as a finished piece upon looking at the songs as a whole. In a stark and barren landscape of time and emotion, these songs were hatched, and eventually took flight.
Back to things in threes. With the emergence of Street Opera, the book that was to be titled The Night’s Last Dance, took on different meaning, and needed a different title: Waiting for a Better Day. The content needed to change, too. I decided it should be just poems and lyrics. (A lot of the essays have made their way onto Substack.) The characters that populate Waiting for a Better Day would be found in the songs of Street Opera if it were an actual soundtrack – as the track “Theme for a Street Opera” infers.
Waiting for a Better Day will be published later this year by David Greenberg’s [product] publishing company.
This record is special for a few reasons. First, it’s special because my daughter Annabel joins me on two tracks, “A Christmas Waltz” and “Midsummer Blue.” Look out – she’s growing into a huge talent. It’s special because I get to work with my friends: Dave Jacques, Anita Suhanin, James “Killer” Kane, and Michael Majett. I have known Dave Westner for over three decades but this is our first time working together – with many more to come. It’s special because 2026 marks my thirty-second year working with Johnny Phillips – ten of those with his son Jeff. I’ll say at this point, Johnny knows me better than almost anyone after listening to me for decades. It’s special because two of my favorite photographers Steve Roberts and Nate Dow – who are also two of my favorite people – share credit for the cover. I’ve known Steve as long as I’ve known Johnny. Man, we’ve had some great times on shoots. And, come out with killer images. Nate has been an inspiration with his photography, which has graced many of my projects. Nate’s work is featured prominently in Waiting for a Better Day.
Thank you all. I found these melodies on the winds of change but we made them the music they are as a collective.
Find your preferred music delivery service for Street Opera here.
Have Mercy!
The Mercy Brothers – Barrence Whitfield and myself – will be at The Press Room in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Find tickets here. The reissue of our album Strange Adventure on Cupcakes & Muffins Records is coming soon. Stay tuned for that release date. Strange Adventure was originally released on Gibraltar Records in 2003.
Find me on the radio dial every Saturday afternoon 4-5pm EST with Crooked Road Songs on WICN 90.5fm locally in Worcester, Massachusetts, and globally at wicn.org. My playlist from Saturday, February 21, 2026:
Frank Stokes “Downtown Blues”
Jelly Roll Morton “Shreveport Stomp”
Champion Jack Dupree “Junker’s Blues
Tuts Washington “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans”
James Booker “All by Myself”
Fats Waller “St. Louis Blues”
Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini “Moon River”
Judy Garland “Moon River”
Al Green “Tale Me to the River”
Ike and Tina Turner “River Deep Mountain High”
Little Milton “Cry Me a River”
Sonny Boy Williamson II “Bring It on Home”
Blind Willie Johnson “Nobody’s Fault but Mine”
Muddy Waters “You Need Love”
Otis Rush “I Can’t Quit You Baby”
Kansas City Joe and Memphis Minnie “When the Levee Breaks”
Charlie Rich “River, Stay Away from My Door”