Artist description Gini Dodds is a singer/songwriter/musician who writes melodic pop rock, but has an eclectic writing style which includes alternative rock, hard rock, and alternative country. Vocals are sometimes compared to Chrissie Hynde, Lucinda Williams or Sam Phillips. Gini works with two bands - one version does rock/alt country and another does pop rock/hard rock. Solo gigs focus on alt country material.

Music Style Melodic pop rock meets alternative country

Musical Influences Petty, Elvis Costello, Pretenders, The Band, Squeeze, Lucinda Williams, Hollies, Beatles, Robyn Hitchcock, Neil Young

Similar Artists Pretenders, Lucinda Williams, Sam Phillips, Tom Petty, Elvis Costello

Artist History Gini Dodds played with a variety of cover bands and began writing original material in the mid 1990's. In March 1998, she attended a week long songwriting seminar in England taught by Ray Davies of The Kinks, which honed her skills and furthered her interest in songwriting. Since 1998, Gini recorded two 3-song demos with her band, The Dahlias, and with the help of producer John Wright, her first full-length solo CD, Mellowdrama, in the summer of 2000. She was a winner in the Nashville Songwriters Association's Annual Songwriting contest with a cut off her new CD, Sweet Christine. She currently does both solo and band gigs around the Twin Cities are

Group Members Gini Dodds (vocals, guitar)John Wright or Jeff Willkom (bass)Greg Herriges or Terry Isackson(lead guitar)Scott Miller or Vick Johnson (keys)Tait Cameron or Steven Thielges(drums)

Instruments 2 guitars, lap steel, bass, drums, keys

Albums Mellowdrama (available junobeach.com, amazon.com, cdnow.com)

Press Reviews ****Kevin Bowe (multi-platinum songwriting for Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Sheppard): "Gini Dodds is the best new singer/songwriter on the scene!"****Bucketfull of Brains Issue #58 An exquisite cornucopia here from the twin cities. Mellowdrama is like a delightful coming together of the Chamber Strings and Lucinda Williams. Gini Dodds has a marvelous, slightly-androgynous, Lennony-tinged voice, and her songs of experience and observation have a similar tone and subject to those of the afore-mentioned Lucinda or Amy Rigby. There are a number of elements to this very tasty post-modernist stew. Openers Extraordinary You and Deep have an opulent late-Beatlesy feel. The former, subject-wise, seems a distant cousin of Sweet Old World; what someone should have told the addressee of that song way before s/he took the ultimate step. It's delightfully lush with electric sitar, pedal steel, and ukulele adding to the keyboard and guitar swirl. In similar vein is the elegiac Quiet Girls where "this world's tenderhearted fools are heaven's mighty Charlemagnes." A strong influence of Americana imbues songs like Sweet Christine and Dry Ground. They've both got quite a twang and a curl to the lip to them, and You Can't Tell Me Nothin' opens memorably with Gini's harmonica. Then Love of My Life has a real Cocteau Twins aura both in the guitar and the singing. Surprisingly, it all melds together remarkably well. So find it if you can and sate yourself. *****Swizzlestickzine Nov 2000 A fresh face on the scene is Gini Dodds who hails from Minneapolis. She writes soulful lyrics, sings, and plays guitar and keyboards on this CD and is assisted by some very capable musicians. To mention one, Andy Dee plays lap steel on "Dry Ground" that is reminiscent of David Lindley, and also plays (strummed) electric sitar(!) on other tunes such as "Extraordinary You", which is the opening and flagship song of this CD and is simply...well, extraordinary. Her debut is a solid compilation of distinctive styles that definitely leans toward pop rock but which diverges occasionally; for example, in "Sweet Christine", a country rocker where she sounds amazingly similar to Lucinda Williams. Speaking of her vocals, she has an appealing vibrato, and a pure higher register, although underused. Her vocal harmonies are impeccable. On many of the songs she sounds so much like Chrissie Hynde, like on the slick "Out of my Head" (does that funky guitar remind you of Archie Bell and the Drells or what?!). Mellowdrama is a fine collection of 12 songs with some real gems and is hopefully just the beginning of Gini's blossoming musical career.(Lee Thurston)****hEARd Magazine November 2000: I'm not too sure about the past history of Gini Dodds, a US based artist, but the present history concerning this album is about all you'll really need to know. Running across a dozen songs, this album will make a lot ofpeople very happy when they check out the music as there's some very cool styles here. From the opening track "Extraordinary You", you'll find a lot to like, with some of the songs featuring a sort of country rock feel, though by & large there's more of an insistent pop rock rhythm, on songs like my pick "Celebrity Pictures" & the slower edged yet stunning "Dry Ground". Another big highlight here is the remarkable "Out Of My Head", though there's still a lot more to find out here. This is certainly a fabulous album & one that will stand the test of time - can't wait for the next. ****Zeitgeist Magazine: This is, at times, quite extraordinary. Possessed of a remarkable voice and the ability to write songs of a personal, yet universal dynamic,I can't recommend this highly enough. Some lines just leap out at you and stop you in your tracks. The simplistic yet potent "you're not a loser just because you're left alone" amongst many. Billed as new folk but drawing on the legacy of singer songwriters across all genres this retains a pop sensibility that goes beyond folk and makes for a superbly rounded whole. The highlights are many and varied but special plaudits go to "Extraordinary You," "Dry Ground," and "Love of My Life." ****COSMIK DEBRIS December 2000 Minnesota's Gini Dodds mixes jaunty pop, twangy Americana and tough rock on her debut disc and comes up with one of the better indie releases I've heard this year. Her greatest strength is as a songwriter, turning out a dozen originals that cross genres but are consistently strong. Her vocal talents measure up to the tunes, with enough flexibility to shift her sounds as she shifts styles. She also contributes guitar and keyboards to the mix, and her ability as a player is strong enough to support the songs. And ultimately, it's the songs that matter. I'm particularly impressed by the opener "Extraordinary You," "Sweet Christine," and the closing ballad, "I'll Stop By," but there's not a bad one in the lot and each listener is likely to come up with their own lists of favorites, based largely on which of Dodds' styles they prefer. Gini Dodds is definitely a name to watch out for, and Mellowdrama is definitely a CD worth checking out.****LUKE January 2001 Methinks Gini dodds owns a Lucinda Williams' album or two...but that's okay - nothing wrong with having influences, and Dodds does more than enough on her debut to suggest that she's got plenty to say and the talent to entertain while she's saying it. Also, she doesn't stick to Williams' rootsy alt. country sound, choosing instead to explore a few different things including clever, folky pop (Extraordinary You), slow Pretenders style rock 'n'roll (Quiet Girls) and even guitar driven indie rock (Save Me), although she's at her best when she returns to the country, and tracks like Sweet Christine and You Can't Tell Me Nothin' standout. (7)*****RoundSound 11/2000 The Twin Cities are turning out some noteworthy talent these days. On Mellowdrama, Gini Dodds introduces a sound that wraps her descriptive, narrative song styles in a Lucinda Williams vocal style and a sometimes Beatleseque (Abbey Road period) instrumental sound. Lyrical bass lines, slow tom fills, churning fuzz guitar and the occasional organ lead framer her solid lyrics and mid-range focals creatively and uniquely. Dodds is an artist whose work improves with repeated listenings - it sounds familiar while conveying a creative individualism.****Spendid Magazine November 2000: Melody is a good thing! Mellowdrama's strongest suit is melody. Ms. Dodds writes a decent enough song, and she's convincing enough as an instrumentalist and vocalist, but it's the melodies that get you....a fine example of what I mean is "Extraordinary You," which starts with an emotive descending guitar line that's both subtle and poignant. The chorus (which derives melodically from the opening motive) is just as tender and still sounds sweet after a dozen spins around the block.

Location St. Paul, Minnesota - USA

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