Raftree's debut release is their self-titled EP that features some 'dynamically' charged and uniquely blended power user rock songs. With all of this said... lets see what happens when you press the play button..

Salvation opens up this magnificent EP and introduces man woman and child to Raftree's world.. with some startlingly explosive vocals emphasizing and adding technicolor to the very clever lyrics and level of musicianship that makes musicians rather envious. Guitar work is phenomenally realized and the drum work... oh deary deary me... the drum work is basking in the same kind of excellence that gets drummers awards! It's a forceful song with elements of classic rock fused with everything including the kitchen sink under the guise of contemporary innovative rock! Brilliant song Ken... whatever way you look at it!

Eyes you hide wakes up the previously covered-in-cobwebs elements of your consciousness to the sound of a super band in their blaze of abundant glory. Imagine seeing this at a live indoor venue then imagine seeing this at a massive open air concert... two completely fantastic visualizations if ever there was one! Harmonies expel any sense of reason as they support the main vocal to the nth degree. The nice little acoustic and percussion interlude works very well indeed.. especially through headphones and the song builds up so well to it's climax that your left feeling robbed when the last note disappears! it's a bit like the feeling you'd get if you were traveling at 150mph on the highway only to find yourself suddenly ejected from your seat to watch the vehicle continue onwards as it gathers even more speed!

After all that... we get to Room and Raftree's anthemic blending of what's imaginative and what's innovative. There is so much in this song that I have to wonder what the engineer was faced with at the mixing desk as he tried to get everything separated into the stereo image that looks to me like a collage of unbelievable sound canvassing. What a brilliant piece of compositional and studio work this song really is! Again, the lyrics and vocals are meshed very finely together and the other thing that's certainly worth pointing out is that the drum and bass work is totally impossibly terrific!

Missing opens with the driving eye widening power rock chords and inquisitional drums that now typify the Raftree sound. Superb vocal work is really magnificently delivered and I'm tempted yet again to leg it down to the dealer to find a drug that's powerful enough to keep this drummer doing the same thing without feeling completely and utterly exhausted! Missing is a great rock track and Raftree are harbingers of great rock with as much innovation and forward thinking presence to last a lifetime! I have had this argument so many times before where the need to bring back the charisma that went with 'frontmen' in the true classic rock band sense has never been so great. We lost something when bands became bands with equalized spotlights when they really did need to keep a guy acting like the squadron leader in a mighty wing formation... I think... and I say it again... I think that's what we may have here... Raftree is brilliant because Raftree produces brilliant rock music... end of story... for now!

Colin Lynch - November 25 2006 © 2006 R Cat Communications Ltd - All Rights Reserved

Raftree 4 tracks - playing time: 13:59 min. (none) Rating: 7.5/10

Normally I’m not that fond of rock bands with funk, blues and metal influences. But this four-track EP from Raftree really surprised me. Raftree is project from Kenneth Raftree. He plays guitar, composes the songs and sings in this band.

The songs on this EP have a very refreshing sound and the voice from Kenneth does remind me of a certain famous voice sometimes. I can’t remember who’s voice it is, sorry for that. Raftree combines the different styles as if it’s just one style. There are not a lot of bands who can do that like Raftree.

Raftree made a nice debut EP and I think that this band has a nice future. Since this is their first release I expect a lot more from their future releases.

(Jeroen) © Rockezine Dec 20, 2006

December 11, 2006 Raftree: Raftree

Raftree is the musical project of singer/guitarist Kenneth Raftree, and this is the band's first four song demo release. Although Raftree plays all the guitars and bass on the CD, the live line-up includes drummer Vincent Livolsi, lead guitarist Angel Vivaldi, and bassist Chris Targia. The band have put together four solid compositions here that combine catchy hard rock, metal, blues, and funk. At times these guys sound like a cross between Sevendust (minus the screaming), Living Colour, and Lenny Kravitz. Raftree's soulful voice and heavy riffs work well against tasty lead guitar on songs like "Room" and the melodic single "Salvation", while "Missing" is just an all around solid heavy rock number with pounding rhythms and fiery guitar leads. Even though the demo is mainly a two man recording, this is solid stuff and it will be interesting to hear what the full band can do.A lot of promise is shown on these four cuts, and I think a bright future is ahead for this New Jersey band.

Track Listing 1) Salvation 2) Eyes You Hide 3) Room 4) Missing Added: November 28th 2006 Reviewer: Pete Pardo Score: Related Link: More Information Hits: 139