By Mellisa Esposito
His third LP features stripped-down acoustic covers of pop and rock hits, plus a selection of melodic acoustic originals meant for active listening.
NYACK, NY — Hudson Valley-based singer-songwriter Ryan Townsend is releasing his third full-length album, “Revolve”, featuring 12 tracks of intimate acoustic covers and soulful originals. As of August 18, 2023, the album is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. A download card and poster package can also be purchased at live shows or through RyanTownsendBand.com.
“Revolve” was recorded at RCT Music Group in Nyack, NY with an original goal of featuring just six acoustic covers of popular songs spanning genres and decades. However, during the process of reinventing top-40 hits with a simple arrangement of acoustic guitar, synths, pads, and cello, Townsend found himself composing additional instrumentals that he wanted to share. What resulted is a compilation of six instrumental tracks, two original songs with vocals, and four acoustic covers: “Electric Feel” by MGMT, “How Will I Know” (Whitney Houston), “Use Somebody” (Kings of Leon), and “Wrote a Song For Everyone” (Creedence Clearwater Revival).
“I chose to cover these songs because I wanted to create opposite takes on their original sounds,” Townsend explains. “They’re typically upbeat or danceable tracks, but I took a slower approach and stripped down the sound, so that listeners can find new ways of connecting with familiar favorites.”
The album’s first single, “I’ll Wait On”, is an original track in which Townsend’s soulful vocals express words of longing over gentle atmospheric guitar. (View the music video for the single here.) His mellowed covers of MGMT’s “Electric Feel” and Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” are more suitable soundtracks for a drive down a country road than a dance hall, with acoustic guitar backed by a cello’s swaying moan (performed by cellist Camille Dietrich). Townsend’s deep, at-times gravelly vocals provide an intimate-yet-powerful effect to the lyrics.
Among the half-dozen instrumental tracks on “Revolve”, you’ll hear cascading guitar tones atop an ethereal backdrop that swells cinematically, then releases with the gentleness of a receding tide. The thread that ties each of the album’s tracks together is the allure of ambient sound, entrancing melodies, powerful vocals, and an authentic approach to music that’s made to stir the soul.
To learn more about Ryan Townsend or for additional photos and media, please view his EPK here. Ryan is available for interviews and performances. Contact booking@ryantownsendband.com or (845) 358-1236.