Renee Dion and Jon Rogers are celebrating the release of their Fender Rhodes laden, textured and beautiful down-tempo R & B album “Moonlight” on Saturday February 22nd at Brother's Drake Meadery. “Moonlight” is destined to be one of the better Columbus releases of the year, so I was delighted to speak to Renee Dion last weekend. The release party for “Moonlight” is a milestone in Dion's artistic life which started off with her singing on her organist grandmother's lap at church when she was a little girl. However, the Brotherâ's Drake show will not be as nerve-wracking as Dion's May 5th, 2012 performance of the National Anthem for President Barack Obama at a Columbus rally. Dion recalled the historical performance, “I've been thrown in so many situations vocally, where I just had to rise to the occasion. That was the most crazy thing I probably have ever done. There is no music. So one off note and thousands of people are gonna be like...I just really had to relax and say 'hey, these are all my friends.'” Dion nailed it, as can been seen on YouTube. She also delivered with equal class on “Moonlight” which Dion described as “a really moody, introspective, spacey, traveling CD.” “Moonlight” is the perfect growth from her 2011 mix-tape “The City That Sleeps,” a release that received a lot of love from Okayplayer.com for it's lush R & B singing over borrowed instrumentals from Flying Lotus and Melo-X. “The City that Sleeps” was recorded on a laptop in a bathroom while Dion and her husband were laid off from their jobs . “Moonlight” is a full fledged, polished, composed and arranged studio album of all original material thanks to Rogers. Dion met Rogers aka Maggz last year at a Dilla Tribute at Buggin' Out where Rogers was performing a beat set. As we detailed in the December 5th issue, Rogers has been making a name for himself through his work with “Feelin” Records, and playing at places such as SXSW. Dion said of seeing Rogers perform at the 2013 Dilla Tribute, “It is what I always wanted to do but I just couldn't find it.” The first video off “Moonlight” for the song “51st and Cornell” has Dion and Rogers sharply marauding around Columbus at night in an automobile. While the suave video is set in Columbus, “51st and Cornellâ” is actually about a block in Chicago filled with mom & pop stores where Dion lived while attending Columbia University, she said: “We lived in a high rise on the 31st floor. I just watched Gil Scott Heron's “Unsung” It took me back to 51st and Cornell ..Under the viaduct someone had wrote: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Back then I had no idea what that meant.” Dion remarked on the inspiration of “51st and Cornell,” “That is where I became a woman. That is where I really grew up and saw myself as a performer” Another reflective song on “Moonlight” is “Mistakes.” Dion explained, “I think it's my dis record to myself. It was just me saying to myself, 'look, you've made mistakes. Deal with it. Live with it. Understand it's OK to admit it. But just move on from it.''” Obviously, Dion does not regret committing to this project however, “When I start working on a project; I can only work with one producer. I think that's what's so special about “Moonlight.'” Dion said of the collaboration with Rogers, “It forced him to really dig deep and he has never worked with a singer before. It's usually just beats. He might rhyme a little. This really pushed his envelope. I got on his nerves a lot. It opened him up musically in a way that I don't think he was really expecting.” Renee Dion & Jon Rogers will celebrate the release of Moonlight from 6pm-9pm Saturday 2/22 at Brothers Drake, located at 26 E. 5th Ave, Columbus, Ohio.