press & quotes

South of Mainstream, January 2004

«"What I heard immediately was country-rock, musically most reminiscent of the New Riders, Poco or some of the Byrds fronted by a lady Bob Dylan poetess who kicks the old-school country diva thing via the way of Tammy Wynette or Patsy Kline (vs. new school Faith Hill or Shania) .Noticing a similarity in one of the keyboardist’s riffs in ‘Good Medicine” to Mr. Zimmerman’s “Positively 4th St., I focused on Gini’s lyrics and they were quite superlative to much of her main genre as I see it, the "country rock" genre. In fact, most of her lyrics, at least in the opening four tunes where they were their strongest, rivaled those of Bob himself. Perhaps a reason for Gini’s flair for the written word is that she was actually a student of songwriting, taught by the Kinks’ Ray Davies."»

Minneapolis Star Tribune, October 2003

«"Gini Dodds has been known to throw a great Pretenders or Lucinda Williams song into her live sets, so it's no surprise that her second CD, "Good Medicine," is full of original songs recalling those influences. The album was recorded with Dodds' band the Dahlias, which is essentially Curtiss A's band. It was Curtiss who turned me on to "Good Medicine." He called to gush about it. 'She wrote everything, including the solos that the guys play," he said. "And she even wrote some songs about me.' If that doesn't make you interested in the disc, I don't know what will."»

Pulse, March 2002

«I could just be selfish and happy to have her awesome pipes and take-you-to-school lyrics all to myself, but frankly, I think she deserves more—and so does the music-listening public. If I had the money and connections, this girl would be blasting out of every Adult Contemporary, Clear Channel and video outlet in the country.»

The Big Takeover, no. 49

«Minneapolis singer/songwriter Dodds' Mellowdrama is an intriguing mix of straight-ahead folk, rock, country, and alternative. She has a crack band behind her and the big, radio-friendly production really brings her songs to life. Dodds is definitely a genuine article and if this CD is any indication of her craftmanship as a songwriter, she'll be a presence for years to come. Expect good things from this emerging voice.»

KEVIN BOWE (multi-platinum songwriter for Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd)

«Gini Dodds is the best new singer/songwriter on the scene!»

Bucketfull of Brains Issue #58

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« 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.»

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)»

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 list 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.»

Swizzlestickzine November 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.»

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 of people 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.»

RoundSound November 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 vocals 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.»

Zeitgeist Magazine October 2000

«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'.»