The music on "Ladies and Gentlemen, I Present to You.." is passionate and soulful. The songs are a mixture of powerful lyrics against a backdrop of dramatic instrumentation. Check out this EP if you are in the mood to be moved.

5 MP3 Songs in this album (22:09) !
Related styles: Rock: Rock & Roll, Blues: Soul-Blues, Christian

People who are interested in Band of Skulls Manchester Orchestra The Black Keys should consider this download.


Details:
Ravenhill is an up and coming young indie band out of the southern Illinois area. They have a unique sound and a broad range of influences that stretch back decades into musical history. Ravenhill recently released an EP, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I Present to You...", which was made available for download at Absolute Punk dot com's free music Friday blog. Over 1000 downloads later, the buzz is beginning to grow beyond the borders of the local music scene as their combination soul/funk/punk/rock/gospel mishmash sound brings them new fans daily.

The band's music is indescribable, really. But in a good way. While most bands have narrow influences that fit firmly within the particular style of music they are playing, Ravenhill calls upon a wide array of musical mentors that go well beyond their 20-something ages. Citing inspiration as diverse as Ray Charles, the Rolling Stones, and The Beatles, as well as hardcore, classic rock, old gospel, blues and soul music, Ravenhill manages to blend the various styles and types together and filter them through a modern indie sound. Modern influences such as Manchester Orchestra, The Black Keys and mewithoutyou are also apparent, but it's the overall mixture of the old-school styles that gives their music the kind of retro-cool that would be at home on the soundtrack to any Quentin Tarantino flick.

A listen to the EP is like a guided tour through nearly sixty years of American pop, rock, jazz, soul and funk music. Toss in the slightest little punk edge and a modern indie scene sensibility and you have the genre-defying style that is Ravenhill's music. There is a soulful passion that is woven throughout each tune. It is obvious that these guys love playing the music that they do. That joy is somewhat contagious in the more upbeat tunes as the blue-eyed soul meets 70's funk melds with a little bit of gospel swing and punk swagger. Slower songs, especially the mournful "Blood on the Church Floor" displays great emotional intensity without over the top orchestration or arrangement. The lyrics hearken back to a time when lyric writing was a craft of storytelling. A bit of influence from bards and balladeers, folk and Americana shines through at this point.


The music of Ravenhill is like a good old fashioned stew of genres and styles. And like a good stew warms the belly, this is music that warms the soul. As a band released bio reads: "We just wanna make you dance."

if you have a chance to see them live, don't miss it. Keep an eye on these guys. I have a feeling that in the not so distant future you might be saying "I used to listen to them before they hit it big..."