W. Wade and Trena Stooksberry (The DOVES) hail from beautiful Macon, GA – a town located an hour south of Atlanta, renowned for it amazingly rich musical heritage (Lena Horne, Little Richard, Otis Redding, James Brown, The Allman Brothers and Capricorn Records, Mark Heard, Mike Mills and Bill Berry of REM, et. al.), as well as its signature antebellum architecture, which was spared by Sherman during his march to the sea. Wade also claims musical DNA from his childhood in Memphis.
They have taken all these influences, and many more, to forge a sound both immediately familiar, and uniquely their own; spanning a gamut from Classic AOR to Adult Contemporary to New Wave, Blues, British Invasion, Southern Revival – and of course, being Southerners, Spiritual.
The DOVES have been capturing attention and acclaim from radio stations and bloggers both at home and abroad: New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC, LA, Seattle, San Francisco; London, Wales, Germany, the Netherlands, Paris, and elsewhere.
From the “musical smorgasbord” of their 6-song EP, “Day (One)” which ranges from acoustic lament (“Dirty Words”), to guitar-driven New Wave (“Day”), to electronic synth (“Some More Than Others”), to glorious chorale (“Out of the Wood”), to “grunge meets Latin in Motown” ("Angeline"), to soulful blues (“Everybody’s Happy But Me”) –
to their follow-up “double-sided single” of catchy pop-rock, “Wild and Strange"/"Shut My Mouth” —
to their more recent offerings, “Why Did You Hurt Me?” (a universal plaint, Trena’s soulful vocal evoking the classic radio style of Brenda Lee, Connie Francis, Patsy Cline; with Wade’s matching retro guitar work); “Mirage” (a galloping reflection on the boundaries of reality: is our world really a “Mirage”?) and “The Fine Line” (the pathos involved with choosing to “walk the line”, a la Johnny Cash – or not to) —
And now, with their foray into Gospel, “King of Kings” — “an old-fashioned, drop-beat, stomp-your-feet praise and worship song: marked by its stately, unhurried rhythm” (its accompanying video hailed as “Stunning, ethereal, unexpected, joyous…”) — which extols Jesus Christ in HIs exclusive office as Creator of “time and space (and) energy…”
The DOVES express an effortless shifting of musical genres that confirm what Dan Herman of Radio Crystal Blueremarked on his “Novus Ordo” broadcast: “they have something unique up their sleeve…”.
Call it “the superior arrangements… and perfect harmonies of the couple” (German blogger Walter H., “A Few Good Times in My Life”); call it
"Lush melodies, mystery and simplicity,
the profane and the sacred, driving
acoustic lyricism. The alternative to
the alternative”
Whatever you choose to call it, The DOVES hope you will be blessed by “King of Kings”!
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