Victoria Love

Victoria Love by: Sami-di Williams

The first words that entered my mind listening to Victoria Love were; meaning, layers and depth. There is depth and layers to the music from the instrumentation to the intricate way it weaves through her stories. There is depth and meaning in the lyrics themselves which are delivered with a voice that conveys it’s own depths and heights, a voice that can be soft and stirring then powerful and compelling. In short, Victoria Love gives us what a lot of music is missing, dynamics. Not just the highs and lows and stylistic offerings of musical dynamics, but it is dynamic. It’s forceful, conveys it’s own energy and leaves you effected.

This alone would be enough for a lot of artists but Love takes things further, she’s taught at Girls Rock Camp and founded “Elle Acoustique” a regular event that supports women’s music. Love is currently working on a new album “Ataraxis” a follow up to her 2011 EP, “just breathe” which can be found on iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby.

(For Full Article: Scroll Down the Page) - OutLander Project

Jessica A Smith (Montrose Star): "What was the first song you ever remember hearing?"

Victoria Love: "Wow, I couldn’t even tell you the answer to that question. I can tell you the first song I remember singing in front of people.
That’s easy. It was “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley. According to my mother, I used to sing lots of Elvis, Michael Jackson and Arabic music.
My father is Lebanese and he used to play his records for us all the time. I remember singing one of my favorite Arabic songs to myself in school when I was really young and this young boy looked at me like I was an alien. That’s a pretty funny memory to me now, although at the
time, his look silenced me. I didn’t realize that other kids didn’t listen to it. I never thought one way or another about it until then."

(For Full Article: Scroll to Page 28) - The Montrose Star

popVLTR: "What was it like the first time you performed on stage? Do you still feel the same way?"

Victoria Love: "Well, I was a fan long before a performer or writer/composer. Aside from a few piano lessons as a child and singing Elvis songs for my Mom all the time, I really started learning when I was 13. As soon as I could play a few songs, I jumped on stage. I was excited, but I was so nervous I thought my heart would explode. I still get a little nervous, but the minute I start playing, I feel right at home. Music is where I belong." - Pop Vulture Magazine

Victoria Love: "I do write my own songs. It’s not always easy for me since I don’t have much of a technical background in music. I am mostly self-taught so I learned to read guitar tabs and then I just started figuring stuff out on my own. I was introduced to the music of Ani Difranco when I was a teenager, and I knew then that I wanted to be a songwriter. Before then, I just learned songs that I liked and played them in my room away from the judging eyes and ears of other people. I didn’t even sing much before then. I really loved to sing, I just never thought I was any good. Ani’s music, and everything that she is, empowered me. PJ Harvey has also been a huge inspiration. She is so weird and I love her for that. Both of these women are at the top of my list for amazing songwriters. When I really need some inspiration, I go see live shows, or listen to my favorite artists. I use to spend hours a day just listening…really listening to music. I still do, but most of the time now, it’s while I’m doing other things. The older we get, the more we must do. Sometimes I just want to be that teenage girl who use to sit in her bedroom and just listen. I learned more from music than I ever did from any school." - ‘Girl Magazine’ (Australia)

When Victoria Love, who is also known as Monique Jamail, was living in Austin in 2008, a spontaneous phenomenon regularly occurred among her fellow musician friends.

“Whenever I would get home, it would be late. We’d end up drinking on the porch, and we’d end up playing,” she recalls.

Before long, that spontaneous jam became Elle Acoustique, a musical confab dedicated to encouraging local and independent women musicians to share their original music.

Now returned to Houston, Love has given that feel-good, porch-bound creative outburst more direction, presenting the monthly Elle Acoustique, scheduled April 18 at House of Blues’ Foundation Room.

Love describes the evening as “a pow-wow, onstage.” Sarah Golden is a frequent “sitter-inner” of previous Elle Acoustique events.

“All artists play together and song-swap,” she continues. “It’s basically a jam, but with structure. Everybody plays their own music and, sometimes, covers. It’s meant to have that ‘we’re sitting in your living room, jamming out’ kind of feel.”

Despite having recently released her new self-produced CD, Just Breathe, Love laments the lack of venues for new musicians who may not be quite seasoned enough to gig, but who nonetheless can benefit from having an audience listen to their tunes.

“It’s like, what happened to Lilith Fair? All that amazing music. And we used to have The Dyke Show open mic, which was always so comfortable and welcoming. It was the first place I played,” the singer/songwriter says.

Love’s plans for the Elle Acoustique go beyond the artistic. She hopes eventually the gathering will become a nonprofit organization for music education for women.

Victoria Love’s Elle Acoustique: A Celebration of Women’s Music • April 18, 8:30-11 p.m. • House of Blues’ Foundation Room (open to the public for this event), 1204 Caroline St. • www.victorialovemusic.com. - OutSmart Magazine

When Victoria Love, who is also known as Monique Jamail, was living in Austin in 2008, a spontaneous phenomenon regularly occurred among her fellow musician friends.

“Whenever I would get home, it would be late. We’d end up drinking on the porch, and we’d end up playing,” she recalls.

Before long, that spontaneous jam became Elle Acoustique, a musical confab dedicated to encouraging local and independent women musicians to share their original music.

Now returned to Houston, Love has given that feel-good, porch-bound creative outburst more direction, presenting the monthly Elle Acoustique, scheduled April 18 at House of Blues’ Foundation Room.

Love describes the evening as “a pow-wow, onstage.” Sarah Golden is a frequent “sitter-inner” of previous Elle Acoustique events.

“All artists play together and song-swap,” she continues. “It’s basically a jam, but with structure. Everybody plays their own music and, sometimes, covers. It’s meant to have that ‘we’re sitting in your living room, jamming out’ kind of feel.”

Despite having recently released her new self-produced CD, Just Breathe, Love laments the lack of venues for new musicians who may not be quite seasoned enough to gig, but who nonetheless can benefit from having an audience listen to their tunes.

“It’s like, what happened to Lilith Fair? All that amazing music. And we used to have The Dyke Show open mic, which was always so comfortable and welcoming. It was the first place I played,” the singer/songwriter says.

Love’s plans for the Elle Acoustique go beyond the artistic. She hopes eventually the gathering will become a nonprofit organization for music education for women.

Victoria Love’s Elle Acoustique: A Celebration of Women’s Music • April 18, 8:30-11 p.m. • House of Blues’ Foundation Room (open to the public for this event), 1204 Caroline St. • www.victorialovemusic.com. - OutSmart Magazine

Imagine taking Arabic rhythms and then twisting them slightly to the side. Now fill the space with gothic-friendly vocals and a host of stringed instruments. Give lyrics with familiar and relatable themes: redemptive love, righteous indignation, artistic passion. What you’ll find when the dust settles is Just Breathe, a haunting five-track disc that will make you want more even if this isn’t the sort of music you normally listen to.

Ever since I got this disc, I’ve been listening to it over and over. It’s been on rotation in my car so often that I think my kids are starting to learn the words. But I’ve also seen Victoria Love live in concert, many times over the years — the monthly Elle Acoustique show at the House of Blues in Houston is her brain-child — and one thing that I really like about Just Breathe is that the record complements the energy of the live performance, rather than the disc and the live show trying to be copies of each other. This is refreshing.

One of the tracks, “Yours for the Taking,” begins stealthily. I knew this song from her live shows for a while before I heard it recorded, and it was a new experience when I popped the disc in. I thought of Trent Reznor, but not in his usual aspect; now he was being seduced by an industrial/tribal bellydancer. A temporary situation, because she’d be abandoning him before the end of the song, and even though he’d be affected by it for a long while afterward, he wouldn’t have any regrets.

Maybe I’m letting my imagination run away with me? I don’t know. The thing about this music is that the sound is so full, it’s easy to recede into it, to let the layers of instrumentation — including exquisitely supportive violin, cello, bass — pile on top of you while your subconscious plays around with the vocals. It’s a singularly fun experience to lose yourself in it for a while.

Love has, frankly, a beautiful voice. And her lyrics have depth, subtlety — just enough to make even a reserved person want to sing along out loud — but there’s nothing obscure about what she’s singing. The effects on the plugged-in tracks are tasteful, not at all overpowering. They add to the mood rather than conspicuously announce their presence, a balance which can be difficult for some artists to achieve. I rather enjoy that the last verse of “Needs” is actually “sung” by an electric guitar, as if the instrument were taking over for the singer. (When you hear the song, you’ll understand. In fact, you’ll probably understand a lot.) The acoustic bonus tracks are a real delight.

If you keep up with my Facebook page, you’ll note that I posted some of her songs there. I can’t wait for the full-length album.

See videos, hear music clips, buy the EP, and generally find out more about this artist and Elle Acoustique (a non-profit which seeks to promote musical education for women and girls of all ages) on her website: http://www.VictoriaLoveMusic.com - Sappho's Torque

Victoria Love is an incredible artist whose talent exceeds that of many in her genre. The
Houston based musician's latest project, Just Breathe, will back up my claims and prove
that this artist is no amateur.

"Yours For The Taking" is one of the most creatively inspiring songs I've heard in awhile.
Victoria sings with such passion and conviction on this track breathing life into the soul of
the song. The violins, drums and guitars all come together well, taking you on an
emotional rollercoaster ride full of twists, turns, dips and dives. This is pure listening
pleasure and it was well worth the time I spent listening to it.

Other great songs by Victoria Love include: "Alive Again" and "Needs". Both tracks are
great representations of what you can expect from this rock star on the rise.

Overall, Victoria Love's music is a breath of fresh air from all the monotony in music
today. Love's voice, songwriting and musicianship combined make her a force to be
reckoned with, and I advise other female rockers to stay out of her way if you don't want
to get ran over. Go visit Victoria's website and support this incredible artist.

MUSICAL GOAL: "Music is everything to me. It's all I have to live for. I firmly believe that
music can heal the entire world. My goal is to change life for the better, one person at a
time. Whether it's someone struggling with negative experiences or someone just trying
to relate to someone else. I want to be one of the people that makes life worth living for
someone else, as so many great artists have done for me." - Victoria Love

Review by: Senseitional - I am Entertainment Magazine