BILLY RAFFOUL RELEASES DEBUT FULL LENGTH ALBUM "INTERNATIONAL HOTEL"OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASENEWS PROVIDED BY Universal Music Canada 28 AUGUST 2020 (TORONTO, ON) – Singer/songwriter Billy Raffoul releases his debut full-length album International Hotel today on Interscope Records/Universal Music Canada, the country's leading music company. International Hotel was recorded with two microphones in Raffoul’s girlfriend’s room in his hometown of Leamington, Ontario. The simplicity of that approach is perfectly suited to the rugged intimacy of Raffoul’s songwriting, and to the Americana-leaning sensibilities he brought to the making of International Hotel. International Hotel is available now at all digital retailers. Listen to International Hotel HERE: Earlier this month Raffoul shared the first track from International Hotel, the sparsely arranged “What Makes a Man.” A profoundly moving protest song that speaks out against systemic racism “What Makes a Man” was the final song written and recorded for International Hotel marks the first time Raffoul ever recorded a song with harmonica. The song’s homespun austerity also extends to its video, shot in warm black-and-white and quietly centered on Raffoul’s impassioned performance. Mainly co-produced by Raffoul and his longtime collaborator Justin Zuccato, International Hotel takes its title from a bar in Leamington — the very spot his musician father frequents after finishing up his own gigs. After opening on the title track (a loving tribute to Raffoul’s father and his lifelong devotion to rock-and-roll), the album offers up a dozen more songs rooted in his sharply observed storytelling. With those songs encompassing everything from treasured family history to clear-eyed social commentary to a heartrending ballad of a comic-book hero on “The Ballad of James Howlett,” International Hotel closes out with “Massey Hall”: an homage to the venue of Raffoul’s dreams, a Toronto theater where Neil Young recorded Live at Massey Hall 1971.
Source Universal Music Canada
August 28, 2020 9:49am ET by Universal Music Canada |