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Has LaMontagne ever not been mellow?
Ray LaMontagne’s grainy voice has regularly been compared to Van Morrison’s and Tim Buckley’s. On his third album, he initially comes across like one of those unnaturally sincere singer/songwriters, like James Blunt or Damien Rice. But there’s more to him than achingly pretty acoustic folk songs. “Hey Me, Hey Mama” is actually a lusty rag—slowed to a tasteful crawl, but convincing nevertheless, thanks to its jazzy banjo and LaMontagne’s laidback delivery. Even better is “Meg White,” a sweet love letter to the White Stripes drummer that lacks only a request for her to check “yes” or “no.” “Meg White, you’re alright,” LaMontagne sings, savoring the simplicity of the words. “In fact, I think you’re pretty swell.” On slower songs like “Sarah” and the title track, his voice proves his best instrument, which doesn’t make him any different from other earnest strummers out there. It does, however, invest these songs with a distinctively twilit poignancy.
Listen to Ray Lamontagne's "Meg White" from Gossip in the Grain on his MySpace page.
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I feel like Paste's number rating and word review cross out each other. Ray is consistently the best songwriter of this decade, combining ridiculous lyrical imagery with simple folk sentiments. And this besides, I think it would be obvious that what makes Ray so appealing and beautiful is not the simplicity of the words that he sings or the chords that he plays, but the way he sings and plays. He is one of the only current artists out there that is in the matrix of his own music. How could your review not include this aspect? If this album is a 67, I would love to hear a 80, not to mention a 90!!!
I love Paste, but "note to self"...don't read anything from Deusner ever again...bringing down Damien Rice and Ray Lamontagne in one review is weak. just stick with your Creed and Evanescence albums deus...
Yet another excellent album by Ray Lamontagne! Definitely worthy of far more than a 67 rating.
In terms of comparison, Gossip in the Grain exhibits a considerable break from the continuity of Lamontagne's previous two records. Trouble and Till the Sun were winsomely poignant and interlaced with a hopeless demise into the despair of love and rejection. Gossip breaks the cycle with a upward tilt toward a youthful innocence and positivism at the sacrifice of continuity. Some would argue, in agreement with Paste's rating, that this lack of continuity places Gossip on a lower level than Trouble and Till the Sun and that Gossip is a substantial step back for Lamontagne and Ethan Johns. On the contrary, I would argue that this lack of continuity puts Lamontagne on the road to timeless appreciation. How much more depair could we take? Gossip demonstrates that Lamontagne is not solely a creature of despair but someone who can also experience the positive aspects of life. He drops all pretension with "Meg White" showing us that he does not take himself as seriously as we thought. Lamontagne relaxed the vibe and invited us to enjoy a more accessable record that leaves the future of his artistry shrouded in unpredictability and eclectic potential.