Critic's Review
Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
Columbia Records has issued numerous Dion compilations in the past, but this one marks the third major one. First, there was 1991's Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings, which featured a number of left-field selections and was a fine collection though "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer" didn't appear on it, but it did include the monumental "Sweet Papa Di." Then there was 1997's The Road I'm On, a double-disc retrospective that featured pretty much everything from Bronx Blues ("Sweet Papa Di" excepted) and the left off hits from the Laurie period. Now we get The Essential Dion, that showcases 14 cuts, all of them either major or minor Dion hits. This set has all the number one's from Laurie and Columbia -- the aforementioned as well as "Ruby Baby," "Drip Drop" and "Abraham, Martin & John," and contains the first-ever CD release of "No One's Waiting for Me," for those who would have resisted another Dion collection otherwise.
