Ravenhall were formed by guitarist Joe Ravenhall and singer Chris Brebner in 2015. I have been fortunate enough to hear their debut EP and live album, and at long last they have released their first full-length studio album, and a belter it is too. In some ways they remind me of The Peppercorns, while at others it is Go West, a nice combination with definite commercial overtones. As with Peter Cox and Richard Drummie, it is the combination of the two which makes such an amazing sound – Ravenhall provides the accompaniment (here extended into a full band), which often has an acoustic guitar at the base, while Brebner has one of those voices which one just wants to luxuriate in It is broad, it is velvet, it is rough when it needs to be and emotional at others, with more than a hint of Marc Cohn. That this music is coming out of a duo at the end of the world in Aotaeroa is incredible, as one would imagine that music as refined as this would surely be from a top studio in America with a massive budget behind it as opposed to some guys just doing what they can.
One can only hope this gets picked up by an overseas label as music as powerful as this needs to be heard and appreciated by a much wider audience. I was pleased and honoured to see a quote of mine proud of place on their website, where I was raving about their EP, and yet again here I find myself having issues to find the words to describe just how good this is. Real songs, with incredible vocals, and some belters which deserve to be radio hits – just play “Travelling Story” and see what I mean. I defy anyone not to be bopping along and joining in the chorus, as there is something about this which is fully of joy and light, passion and power. This is the real deal, music being produced for the love of getting it out there with little expectation in terms of financial return or airplay, which is nothing short of awful as this is music which anyone who loves proper songs and singing will get a great deal from. Yet another wonderful release from Ravenhall – let us hope that they soon get the recognition they deserve as this is full of heart and soul.
Rating: 9/10
