Customer Reviews
A beauty - By: William Stephen Dalrymple, 26 Nov 2008 
What an absolutely magnificent release this is.From the soulful,upbeat strut of the opener "You Are The Best Thing" all the way to the hushed beauty of the title track which closes proceedings , Ray & his cohorts simply never put a foot wrong.It is ,i believe, a modern classic & a firm contender for Album Of The Year .
I came to this release with no knowledge of this guy's previous work , i'd heard his name & read about him but never got around to checking out his music. I cannot therefore tell you how this new work compares to previous releases , what i can tell you , without doubt , is that this is a CD i've been playing constantly for the past 3 or 4 weeks now & i've never got bored yet ,in fact it just seems to get better every time i play the damn thing !
Maybe that's because these songs do not , for the most part ,hit you instantly.Instead they just sort of creep up on you unawares & work their way , subtly, under your skin .They just keep dragging you back & before you realise , you're hooked.
At the moment my very favourite has to be the achingly beautiful "Winter Birds" but i think every track on here has been my fave at some point , that's how good it is.
I haven't dwelt to much here on the merits of individual songs but that's because i feel that the overall quality is such that it's a work which should be heardin it's entirety.Lots of timesin fact .
If you like magnificent,heartfelt music & songs sung with real passion & emotion then you simply must get this . It's superb .
Right , time to order his first two albums now i suppose.........
You Are The Best Thing Baby - By: prisrob, 16 Nov 2008 Ray Lamontagne, is an enigma. His voice is breathy & rich & his trademark. His songwriting is brilliant at times. He is a genius at his craft. But, he is not reaching the masses. I found him, oh, several years ago with his first CD, 'Trouble' & his voice & lyrics stirred my soul.
"The Jesus-bearded troubadour is sort of a recluse. He doesn't enjoy doing interviews, refuses to make music videos, & hates reviews of his work--be they positive or negative. But for all the coffeehouse hacks trying to emulate Bob Dylan's verbosity & Van Morrison's impassioned croon, there's the soft-spoken Ray LaMontagne, singing his own wistful tunes without the weight of pretension & the hype of MTV." Joe Tacopina
This CD brings Ray Lamontagne to the fore. He is including a full orchestra. As he saidin an interview, "It was time to open up a little bit more, not be quite so reservedin my choice of songs that I wanted to record." His choicesin these ten songs are somewhat similar to his first two CD's but tell a story of their own. These songs are richer & more complete.
'You Are The Best Thing'-Best song of the ten & my favorite- backed-up by vocals & this is Ray at his best.
'Let It Be Me'- A traditional Ray song-showcasing his beautiful voice.
'Sarah'- One of the most beautifully written songs- many say he sounds like Nick Drakein this saga.
'I Still Care For You'-The big band background with Ray barely speaking.
'Winter Birds'- The poem like wording is exquisite. The best writing of his career.
'Meg White'- Such a complete sidestepping of his usual fare. Feet stomping good- a tribute to Meg White of the 'Stripes'- you either love it or hate it.
'Hey Me, Hey Mama'- Folksy singing- absolutely love this new Ray- 'Where ya been so long?'
'Henry Nearly Killed Me'-Fast paced song with a story line to be followed.
'A Falling Through'- A quiet, thoughtful song.
'Gossip In The Grain'- Soft, listen carefully to the lyrics- beautiful musical background.
Ray Lamontagne is a musician who has not reached his prime. He has stepped out of his footprint with this CD. Gaining new ground & new fans. He is quietly taking his place along side the greats of his genre.
Highly Recommended. prisrob 11-02-08
Trouble
[[ASIN:B000GPIPVU Till the Sun Turns Black
A Classy and Thoughtful Album - By: Gary Hunt, 11 Nov 2008 Firstly I rate Trouble & TTSTB are two of my favourite albums. I approached this album cautiously, hoping to love it as much as Ray's previous work. On first listen, I hated it, excepting track 1 which is instantly likeable. 2nd & 3rd listens I still disliked about half of the album, & the other half seemed non-descript. After the 4th, 5th, & 6th listen, I had come to appreciate it as the subtle piece of genius songwriting it really is, albeit laced with a little quirkiness...
It's hard to describe why Ray's work tends to take time to appreciate, but it really does. This album is a deep, carefully crafted work of art. It's playful, suprising & a little wackyin places (Meg White, Hey me, Hey mama) but it'sin the slower songs (Winter Birds, Gossipin the Grain) that the quality shines through, the last track will literally have you pressing play again almost out of automated response.
I'd recommend this album to anyone who can appreciate quailty music, but would advise patience, a patience that will be paid back with a deep appreciation for what a gifted musician Ray Lamontagne really is.
Let's be clear, it's not perfect, but it's still up there with the best.
As a side note, for anyone that likes Ray's music, if you haven't heard Counting Crows - August & Everything After, it's definitely worth a chance, it's truly a classic album, just check the reviews!
A classic in the making - By: Mrs. H. Hunter, 02 Nov 2008 After watching Ray LaMontagne singing live on t.v I was hooked. After reading the previous reviews it is apparent that some people do not like this genre of music, & that is fine. However if you do like this genre this album is a must have! I thought Trouble was a great album & was really suprised at how much Ray LaMontagne had grown musically for the classic TTSTB. Well he has just done it again. In Gossipin the grain Ray LaMontagne has again taken his music writing skills to a new level. After watching him livein his last tour I will be looking forward to watching him perform music from the new album. So to sum it all up, it is rare to find a hugely talented performer without the ego, & this man has talentin abundance.
the difficult third album? - By: S. P. Harris, 23 Oct 2008 Having waited a long time for this album to arrive & read the other reviews I didn't know what to expect. Ray however has not let us down, after his masterful first two albums I think he deserves the chance to experiment with other genres & ideas. An album along the lines of his first two, whilst good would not have shown Ray's talent off fully. Gossipin the Grain is superb & as other reviewers have said it is a grower. Certain tracks are immediately classic, whilst others take 3 or 4 listens until you grasp the quality of them. Any Ray fan or for that matter anyone that appreciates songwriting should buy this album. Difficult third album yes, but definitely a classic.
