Recorded with top-notch musicians from the Garden State, Dill went into the studio with dozens of songs and whittled the lineup down to 14, along with the help of studio owner and engineer Steve Jankowski. The result is full of power and urgency.

“I hear two or three hits on this collection,” Jankowski said, “but any one of these songs stands on its own.”

Jankowski, trumpet player for Blood, Sweat & Tears, opened his new studio in 2008, with construction help from Dill. The first sessions for the CD were held among ladders and buckets of spackle. By the final mix, the studio was gleaming from top to bottom with Jankowski’s platinum records on the wall.

Playing on the album are Marc Muller, original multi-instrumentalist for Shania Twain; James D. Pappas, touring keyboard player for Smokey Robinson; John Perry, bass player with Tom Principato; and Andrea Valentini, drummer for Blood, Sweat & Tears. Many other talented players came in to lay down tracks, as well.

Just getting to record a third album is a blessing to Dill, who was almost forced out of music. Not long after his first album was released, Dill was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor behind his right ear. He lost hearing on that side permanently, and the use of his right arm for three months.

Hard work and prayer brought everything back, and he keeps on pushing. It’s evident from the progression of style and energy on the three albums: from mostly acoustic, through bluesy rock, to full-blown ass-kicking country rock.