| Rob Dova is a rock-oriented
musician/songwriter from the New York area. His recent self-titled CD release features
seven of his original songs and large doses of his singing and bass playing. Dova
definitely falls into the pop/rock category and seems to be in the business of big hooks
and grand statements in the manner of arena rock greats like Bon Jovi and U2. Many of the
songs presented here have a strong 80’s rock influence at their core and, in this day
and age, they seem pretty mainstream. Something tells me that that’s not a bad thing
to Mr. Dova, and that is the best thing about this record. Dova clearly dreams big and
wants to be a star. You can hear it in every note he sings. This is no I’m- so-
depressed- I- got- signed- I’m- gonna- move- back- to- Seattle- and- drink- coffee-
in- the- rain type of shoegazer art rock thing; this is lively, rocking music made to be
performed to large crowds.
Dova is a strong singer and has the pipes and
the look that it takes to hit the target he is aiming for. His material, however, could be
a bit stronger. One after another, his tunes seem strangely familiar, not in a stolen way
but in a heard-this-kind-of-thing-before kind of way. The thing of it is, this once again
may not be a bad thing to Mr. D. This is the kind of stuff that sells tons of copies.
Mega-success does not usually come to the left-leaning artists that populate the music
collections of egghead critics such as your humble reviewer. It comes to those who can
touch the common man or woman on the street, who can make them sing and smile. Dova seems
to be aiming at that audience and, as such, will probably do all right. Highlights include
"Until I See You" and "Understand Me".
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