The Revivalists, ‘Criminal’ – Free MP3 Download

Soulful New Orleans rockers the Revivalists have seven — count ‘em, seven — cooks in the kitchen.  Offering a mixture of everything from a horn section to a pedal steel guitar, this group creates the kind of diverse and dense sound you'd expect from such a large ensemble.

The collaboration began in 2007, when guitarist Zack Feinberg and drummer Andrew Campanelli met during a music workshop. Feinberg then stumbled across frontman David Shaw by pure chance after overhearing him singing on his front porch. The band continued to grow, adding George Gekas (bass), Ed Williams (pedal steel guitar), Rob Ingraham (saxophone) and, most recently, Michael Girardot, a multi-instrumentalist who fills out their sound.

Today’s free MP3, ‘Criminal,’ from 2012’s ‘City of Sound,’ properly shows off the septet’s wide range of talents. Shaw offers classic rock vocals to the winding track, which erupts in intricate guitar and screams by its end.

“‘Criminal’ is a song that deals with the relationship between Mr. and Ms. Misunderstood,” Shaw tells Diffuser.fm. “The sentiment is, you say I am, therefore I am … a criminal.”