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Songbird Variations - JULY 2012
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The title of the latest CD from Gigi Dover and The Big Love, The Robin is High … & The Mustache is L...The title of the latest CD from Gigi Dover and The Big Love, The Robin is High … & The Mustache is Long, is a nod to the pairing of songstress Gigi Dover and her mustachioed musical partner, Eric Lovell. Dover’s voice, deep and silky, layered with want, warning, a hint of danger and an undercurrent of piquant spice, is well known to a loyal following that spans Charlotte, the Carolinas and beyond. For this outing, in addition to his bourbon-and-gravel vocals, Lovell supplies guitar, bass, tambura, ukulele, resonator guitar, harmonium, mandolin, and melodic percussion, and didgeridoo along with his trademark sitar. Joining them on the album are Andrew Marcadis (who shares a music credit for the song "Pants & Seed") on drums and percussion; Jason Atkins on organ, piano and harmonium; David Clark on bass, John Spurrier on drums; and the "Manchoir," consisting of vocal contributions by Marcadis, Jodybo Gholson, Rusty King and Kevin Loop.
Gigi Dover CoverThe Robin is High...
Juxtaposing light and playful elements with darker influences reminiscent in both lyrics and tone to Tom Waits, Jaques Brel, and Kurt Weill, the musical selections, written by Dover and Lovell, range from sweet, dreamy lullabies and snarky dance beats to deliciously twisted anthems and ethereally mesmerizing melodies.
The band, while at times hard to classify, is definitely easy to listen to. The Robin is High … & The Mustache is Long is less a heavy, full-course meal, and more a delightful tapas spread comprised of surprising, delectable bites one would eagerly return to for a second or third helping of listening satisfaction. Dover, a talented painter, created the cover art for the album as well, making for a truly tasty combination.
To purchase the CD, download music, or find out about tour dates for Gigi Dover and The Big Love, visit www.gigidover.com.
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OUR STATE MAGAZINE- 2011
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Although no uniform theme exists across both halves of the album, a few style consistencies give lis...Although no uniform theme exists across both halves of the album, a few style consistencies give listeners a taste of the artists’ personalities.
the avacado sessions
Variety, rather than a cohesive subject or musical style, is the theme of Avocado Sessions: This Side & The Other by Charlotte-based Gigi Dover & The Big Love. The Americana ensemble’s third album contains 12 tracks, split into two sonically separate sides.
Since 2004, Dover has toured the region with her songwriter husband, Eric Lovell, on lead guitar and David Clark on bass. For Avocado Sessions, Jason Atkins on keys, John Spurrier on drums, and Andrew Marcadis on percussion round out the original trio. Lovell’s musicianship on a collection of instruments, including the tambura, ukelele, mandolin, and glockenspiel, helps the group slide between genres from track to track.
The album’s first half, “This Side,” includes country-tinged Americana rock with Dover’s soulful voice and abundant background vocals. “Poppies” is an upbeat, catchy guitar lick, while the pedal steel-soaked “Preacherman” leans more toward Reba McEntire-style country. “The Other” is adventurous in comparison. The side’s first track, “Paris,” loosens the Americana genre restraint with hints of swing. The dark subject of “Lobster Trap,” with spooky background vocals, is the essential Southern murder ballad. “A Better Place” takes listeners across the world with Lovell’s sitar joining Dover’s acoustic guitar.Although no uniform theme exists across both halves of the album, a few style consistencies give listeners a taste of the artists’ personalities. Dover holds back on her powerful vocals for the sake of mystery when appropriate, but she isn’t afraid to let go, either. She also lends her artistic talent to the album cover: a colorful butterfly that suggests the style and adventure this collection provides.
Gigi Dover and Eric Lovell, Producers.
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The Avocado Sessions - 2011
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SHUFFLE MAGAZINE by Fred Mills
As a stylistic overview of the breadth (and wealth) of contemporar...SHUFFLE MAGAZINE by Fred Mills
As a stylistic overview of the breadth (and wealth) of contemporary Americana, Charlottean Gigi Dover’s latest
scans with a satisfying assuredness; there’s enough programmable potential to keep Triple-A radio types, both
listeners and M.D.s, in clover. Such a cursory analysis, however, does Ms. Dover and her band of merry men —
Eric Lovell, David Clark, John Spurrier, Jason Atkins — a disservice, for in The Avocado Sessions’ diversity lies not i
ts ‘mersh appeal, but its aesthetic reason for being. From moments of quintessential twang (the funky,
B3-powered “Love Stone”) and Memphis strut (“Future” — check the Jordanaires-like backing vox), to dreamy
psychedelia (“Ode To Barry”; pure Tom Petty/Mudcrutch) and perky Western Swing as seen through Django
Reinhardt’s eyes (the appropriately titled “Paris”), these songs literally breathe, like 3D characters coming right
off the screen, with Dover and her sensual Rosanne Cash/Margo Timmins vocal chops in the lead temptress role.
Existentially speaking, this avocado’s one tasty fruit. Chomp, chomp.
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SASSY SONIC SPARKLE
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ROCK HILL HERALD by Debby "Jet" Jennings “SASSY SONIC SPARKLE”
Counteract the heat of seemingl...ROCK HILL HERALD by Debby "Jet" Jennings “SASSY SONIC SPARKLE”
Counteract the heat of seemingly endless dog days' weather with a cool snap of sassy sonic sparkle from
Gigi Dover and The Big Love tonight for a CD release party at The Double Door Inn, Charlotte. The new CD,
snappily titled "The Avocado Sessions --This Side and The Other," is a 12-song breath of musical magic mixing styles,
genres, moods, and melodies willy-nilly for maximum effect. The Big Love is primarily the creative partnership of
singer/songwriter and guitarist Dover and multi- instrumentalist / magician Eric Lovell, whose bag of tricks includes
vocals, guitar, pedal steel, sitar, tambura, melodica, ukulele, mandolin, even a glockenspiel. Also assisting are
David "6" Clark, bass; John Spurrier, drums, and Jason "Baby J" Atkins, keyboards. The Dover/Lovell combo makes
for an enlightening encounter. Dover's role as sassy Southern chanteuse is enhanced by her ability to evoke the
ambiance of familiar personalities -- a little Carole King here, a little Linda Ronstadt there, with a bit of Fleetwood
Mac that's more McVie than Stevie -- all without losing the character and impact of her own voice. Her overall aura
is as rich and bright as the vivid colors of the CD's packaging -- all purple, red, yellow, green and plum mauve woven
through the design and original paintings created by Dover. Meanwhile, Lovell as consummate musician with virtuoso
skills on multiple instruments wields a whimsical charisma that's part shaman, part alchemist, and part psychedelic
rocker. Together they weave a dreamy, quirky path that trips through styles, sounds and genres. It's a little bit country,
a little bit rock and roll and a whole lotta groovy, soulful, funky fun. The song titled "Future" is more like a throwback
to say a Stray Cats past, while "Gangster" goes toward Parliament's "Flashlight" or perhaps "Brick House" a la The
Commodores. Truly, "time casts a spell" over this enterprise with much more waiting to be discovered.
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The Wild Child - OCT 2007
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The Wild Child:
Gigi Dover
Everybody in my family is musical,†Gigi Dover says of he...The Wild Child:
Gigi Dover
Everybody in my family is musical,†Gigi Dover says of her history and musical style. The Charlotte native, who recalls reading album lyrics for fun when she was a child, started taking guitar lessons and writing songs at age 13. “I knew music was something I wanted to do but didn’t know how,†she remembers. “Later, I got invited to sing with a band whose members were a lot older than me.â€
Dover co-founded and performed with regional band Rank Outsiders for 10 years. She is now lead singer for Gigi Dover and The Big Love, and is married to fellow band member and guitarist, Eric Lovell. The band’s gigs take them far and wide via a Honda Element that serves as their tour bus, and Dover has had to learn the finer points of getting gorgeous in a tight space. “There’s nothing glamorous about it," she says. "I’ve got a small makeup mirror with a light. Everything is really small because you’ve got the gear that takes up the whole thing. The regular part [of preparing for a performance] is making sure the boots and everything are all packed up.â€
Now that the band’s new CD, Nouveau, has been released, Dover says the group is planning a year-long promotional tour, adding, “We are also going to work on the Web site. Online traffic is huge. We’re out there like a bag of marbles — everywhere.†The Big Love has already attracted plenty of local attention with this summer's release of Nouveau. In fact, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory proclaimed August 3, 2007, "Gigi Dover Day," with a launch party that night at the Visulite Theatre.
The cover of Nouveau has a fresh, slightly fashionista vibe, but is utterly devoid of pretension. Dover created the cover art and says the design, in "rich shades of purple and turquoise," virtually describes the music. She often offers her graphic design and music production skills to other musical groups when she is not performing.
When asked what her dream gig would be, Dover says, “Probably being able to share a bill with someone I really, really admire — like Annie Lennox or Emmylou Harris — people I’ve looked up to a long, long time and I think are awesome. It could be anywhere. It could be right here.†And with that, she waves her hand around the airspace at Smelly Cat Coffeehouse in the NoDa arts district, where we are conducting our interview. Look out, Charlotte. Look out, world!
Current sound:
Funky, Southern, sultry, topped off with a splash of rock and blues.
Three musicians who have influenced her:
Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and Chrissie Hynde. Further proving she’s a wild child, Dover adds a fourth: Ann Wilson, of Heart.
Releases:
Newly released CD, Nouveau. Previous releases include Unpicked Flowers; Gigi; and LIVE2345.
Instruments:
Acoustic and electric guitar.
Song or lyric that best defines her life:
"Home isn't always the house you were born / home is a place where love's light is shown/ everywhere we wander / love will guide us home." — Martin Stephenson
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Gigi Dover & The Big Love
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Gigi Dover’s latest release, Nouveau, refreshingly pulls off an eclectic approach to songwriting w...Gigi Dover’s latest release, Nouveau, refreshingly pulls off an eclectic approach to songwriting with delicate hints of retro sounds
that never seems forced or stale. Nouveau is an appropriate title, since it represents a lot of new chapters in Dover’s solo career.
It’s the North Carolina native’s first truly collaborative project, sharing songwriting and production credits with her husband and
guitarist Eric Lovell. It’s also her first real departure from the straight alt-country format of her previous releases, although some
residual twang can be found here and there.
The fresh start no doubt had a liberating effect on Dover and her band The Big Love as the music has a fun, playful quality to it.
From the raucous yet sensuous opener, “Deep Love,†Nouveau holds listeners’ attention with bright and airy production, playful
performances and captivating songwriting. From the first track’s funky Little Feat-meets-Carole King vibe, Gigi sets herself up
for walks down several musical roads. “Everybody Knows†feeds on one of the swampiest funk grooves since Dag released
Righteous in 1994. “All Around You†uses sitar and East Indian melodies to invoke late ‘60s psychedelic rock. Later on
“Suburban Lady†she tries on a cocktail jazz style for size — and it’s a flattering fit. All the while, the production recalls
the ‘60s and ’70s approach of letting things happen naturally, without much in the way of punch-ins or overdubs.
The result is a pleasant AM radio-ready listening experience.
(Self-released) www.gigidover.net ; www.myspace.com/gigidoverandthebiglove
-Matthew S. Maynard
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SONICBIDS Featured Artist
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Do you remember
when you were a kid in
elementary school, and
there was one teacher a
little yo...Do you remember
when you were a kid in
elementary school, and
there was one teacher a
little younger and much
hipper than the others?
She dressed differently and used words that kind of made you giggle. If
you walked by her house, music and incense (I think) would radiate from
inside. This month’s featured artist’s vocalist, Gigi Dover & the Big Love,
might not just be influenced by that teacher: She might be that teacher! But,
luckily for all of us, she decided to put her energy into music rather than that
other lofty pursuit. Listening to their 2007 CD release,
Nouveau, this writer was taken back to 1969 when rock music was cutting loose.
You’re encompassed by the music rather than just listening to it. Wah pedals, Hohner
Clavinet, backwards tracking and other staples of that period permeate the tracks
created by The Big Love, spearheaded by guitarist Eric Lovell, Dover’s creative
partner. Dover and Lovell share producer credits on this disc. With the rhythm
section of drummer Chuck Lee and bassist David Clark (they call him “6”) and the
keyboardist Jason Atkins, Lovell and Dover create tracks that are heavily influenced
by a mixed-bag of genres including Funk, Blues, Folk, and Jazz. Happily devoid of
clichés, their music is played with precision and filled with little nuances that make you
smile. Dover’s vocals reflect the same late 60s era of music. More Grace Slick than
Janis Joplin (no rasp here), but retains the soulfulness of the latter: A very winning
combination. Largely because of the band’s wide diversity of influences, each track of
Nouveau sounds distinctly different, but credit needs to be given to the songwriting
as well. Perhaps the band’s website summed it up best in terms of the lyrics when it said, “sometimes the lenses is (sic) in full focus, other times it reads a bit more abstract.”
Even in a world of turmoil, listening to Nouveau might make one think that
August 2007 was “The Summer of Love.”
www.gigidover.net
Gigi Dover Named SonicBids/
Singer&Musician/iRadio Featured Artist
supersonic
