Ray LaMontagne - Till the Sun Turns Black
By: Brett Hickman |
Saturday September 09, 2006 |
 
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Genrerock PublisherRCA Records External Links |
Like some sort of wonderful stew of Nick Drake, Van Morrison and low-key Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne solidifies his critical acclaim he received on his debut Trouble on his newest Till The Sun Turns Black. The album, a collection of beautiful, haunting and moving songs, points to a new direction for singer-songwriters. LaMontagne's songs are filled with a passion and grace not found among many of his contemporaries. Adams (who producer Ethan Johns has worked with on several occasions) can only hit the highs that LaMontagne strikes so easily occasionally. Granted that, when he does, Adams is just as effective.
On the first track, "Be Here Now," LaMontagne strikes a quiet and disturbing tone. The song's emptiness coupled with his voice is like a wound crying out mournfully. "Barfly" is similar to the work of Damien Rice (Rice is another contemporary of LaMontagne's, but is still too green to give a reasoned verdict on), particularly his "Volcano."
It's on the soulful "Three More Days" that LaMontagne really shines. The song, a low-key throwback to the Stax/Volt days, is deep and groovy. It also shows a distinct attempt at a particular sound. There is deep respect to tone and emotion throughout and it's felt in every musician, in every voice and in every nuance of the recording.
This sort of attention to detail and high emotion is never better than on the album's title track. The song is poetry in motion, a testimony to understated beauty and elegant spirit.
With Till The Sun Turns Black Ray LaMontagne has made a career defining album, one that I'd gladly place alongside Pink Moon or Astral Weeks.
