Gigi Dover } SINGER/ MUSICIAN MAGAZINE - SONICBIDS FEATURED ARTIST ::
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.”
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Loved you at the Blue Vine. You get more beautiful each time I see you, and your voice ages like a fine wine. And Eric is a guitar virtuoso. And what can you say about Dave Clark #6. He's the glue that holds it all together. Can't wait to see you guys again.
