I’ve been following the career of Canadian artist, Billy Raffoul, since 2017, having previously reviewed his past album For All These Years right here on this very site. Since then, his music-making momentum has only picked up. The newest album, When I Cross The River, is actually the second album he’s released in 2025! Raffoul’s tracks have begun to incorporate so many more layers, but his heart and soul remain in place, making his music distinctly his own.
Since first bursting onto the scene, it’s his soulful raspy voice and beautiful melodies that have made his frequent ballad-style music sing and gain over half a billion streams worldwide. The first album release of 2025, self-titled Billy Raffoul, highlights the styles that we know and love him for.
“This is a very intentional record. I went on tour to South Africa last year, and it was
amazing to see how some love songs resonated with people on the other side of the world.
Afterward, I thought, ‘I want to make an album full of these songs that have resonated with
people on the other side of the world.’ Musically, I wanted to explore more of the planet. I’ve
been able to showcase every part of myself in each song.”
You should most certainly kick up your feet and give that album an intentioned listen, but I want to jump ahead now to his most recent record, When I Cross The River. The album begins with the words, “The most Southern part of Southern Ontario, when I cross the river, I cross so much more.” This first line hit me hard, as someone who grew up in the Detroit area. Even though I’m not Canadian, there’s always been a connection there for me, and that line took me home to the Detroit River, and my Canadian neighbors on the other side. While this album feels like a love letter to his own home, it also helped me feel the love towards my own as well.
When I Cross The River has Raffoul switching gears from Billy Raffoul and packs a punch with faster, louder, and more rock & roll driven tracks. While he can command an audience with just a guitar and his voice, he brings many more instruments into his compositions from the title track onward. They lend themselves to amplifying his sound and taking him to new levels, all while taking the listener on a journey.
Travel back in time with me quickly…
When I was in middle school, I went to a “mall lock in.” For those not old enough to know what that is, us kids were basically locked into a mall for the night. The stores remained open, the arcade was buzzing, the movie theatre showed movies all night, and we had sleeping bags if we got tired and needed to sleep. During that mall lock in, I picked up a cassette tape that ended up getting played on repeat on my Walkman – Bryan Adams, So Far So Good. I bring this up, because the vibes on When I Cross The River took me to that memory. It is easily an album that I would’ve picked up and played raw on my cassette player. I guess I’ve had a thing for raspy-voiced Canadian singers for most of my life!
I can comfortably say that Billy Raffoul continues the legacy of amazing music coming from Canadian artists, and many tracks on this album sound like they could’ve lived during one of the great periods of music from my life.
There’s not a weak track on this album, but a few stand-outs for me include:
- “Canadian” – This track delivers darker sounds and themes, heavy guitar, and raw emotion. In today’s world, where immigration is a topic on repeat, this song really captures the soul of what immigrants give up to start new lives in the countries they’ve moved to.
- “Born to Love” – Raffoul takes us to church with this track. It’s also a testament to where my mind has been as of late, as the tracks that are speaking deeply to me are heavily rooted in the current state of the world, and this track is truly powerful.
“And I wake up and I wonder
Is it ever? Is it ever gonna get any better?
For my brothers, and my sister” - “Little Girl” – This song really brings me those 80’s/90’s Bryan Adam vibes, and could live at home back to back with “Summer of ’69” easily! It just makes me want to get up and dance, but also to celebrate all of the girl dads out there (including my own).
I really enjoyed this entire album from start to finish, and have already listened to it multiple times – each time hearing something new/finding new meaning in the music and lyrics I’m hearing. Take a journey, and tell your friends…
Listen to When I Cross The River today:
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