Dovile Lee "My Fairytale"

Welcome to 2018 fellow progheads; feels great to be back at the helm of The Closet Concert Arena!  So much has happened since we last met I don't know where to start...so I will just thank you for including me in your New Year's resolutions and jump right into the 2018 version of the search for all things prog.

Trying to find just the right segue into what promises to be a stellar prog garden crop, I decided to take a circuitous route along an intentional, somewhat brooding,  melodic trail (some things never change).  With that said, the Concert Closet heads to Ireland this week on its first international journey and a listen in with Dovile Lee...

Dovile Lee released her debut EP "My Fairytale" this past November on Progressive Gears Records.  Referring to herself as Alt Rock/New Age, Dovile has a voice that transcends the prog garden in a way best described as delicate, haunting, and serene.  Wrapped in soft, reflective piano that at times walks to the duskier edges of the prog garden (just to peek over the fence), Dovile's voice cascades over your ears and coats your mind like ganache enveloping a layer cake.

The prog buffet opens this week with the title cut.  A delicate piano opening leads to sultry vocals as Dovile takes possession of your auditory canals, her voice 800 thread count Egyptian cotton smooth.  There is just enough percussion behind Dovile's voice to create a solid foundation without taking the spotlight away from those haunting vocals.  Dovile comes across like Enya with real emotion; you feel the raw sadness coming through the headphones as she tells you her fairy tale could end today...somewhere the wind just silenced a candle...

Moving the laser down the disc I find another ominous tune dripping with so much emotion you expect the speakers to melt; "Dead Man Walking."  Dovile once again pours her heart and soul into every syllable...top notes of a melodic Anneke van Giersbergen are echoing through the chambers of my cerebrum.  Dovile Lee paints with words the way Monet painted with a brush; delicately and with purpose.  The songs flow like  a spring rain; more than just a sprinkle but not so hard as to leave welts on your eardrums.

Liner Notes...Dovile Lee originally hails from Lithuania but currently resides in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland.  She speaks four languages (!) and by the sound of this album English would among those she is considered fluent in.  A child prodigy of sorts, Ms. Lee performed with a Lithuanian Choir, taking to singing and playing piano at a very young age.  She continues to offer her services as a wedding singer in Ireland; very humble indeed.

Dovile Lee tends to acreage in the New Age/Alt rock section of the prog garden, and I dare say I pick up top notes of Enigma as well as Enya and even Marcela Bovio--despite the obvious differences in their musical styles.  Learn more about Dovile Lee at the Progressive Gears Records website
Dovile Lee Progressive Gears as well as her own website Dovile Lee.  You can find her debut release at Dovile Lee bandcamp.

Dovile also has a Facebook page Dovile Lee FB and Twitter @DovileLee  where you will find information about performances, releases, videos, and the rest of the business side of the industry.  She even has a YouTube channel Dovile Lee YouTube for a deeper introspective into the artist and her influences and preferences.

One last song to spin, so I opt for "The House."  I chose this piece because Dovile goes a bit off script if you will.  Her voice still commands your attention--she can't help but dominate a room with those pipes--but the level to which she pushes herself with this song is inspiring.  Dovile relies more on her vocal ability and less on her piano skills, although she builds the perfect mood with some
"spooky-eerie" ivory work.

To perk up your listening skills, I chose the title cut "My Fairytale."  I dare you to tune in to those vocals and not come away with a new appreciation for voice training...

So the 2018 search for all things prog is officially underway.  As you must have noticed I am once again expanding the boundaries of the prog garden.  The standard bearers will always have a special place in my heart, music collection--and wallet.  But to deny or discredit the existence of the sub genres under the progressive rock umbrella would be selling the prog garden short.  I believe my faithful followers will agree that to be progressive one must be willing to push limits, challenge paradigms,  and expand horizons.  And with that I pull up stakes and look for the next stop on this never ending journey...until next time...