Product Description

1. You Are The Best Thing
2. Let It Be Me
3. Sarah
4. I Still Care For You
5. Winter Birds
6. Meg White
7. Hey Me, Hey Mama
8. Henry Nearly Killed Me
9. A Falling Through
10. Gossip In The Grain

Track Listing

1. You Are The Best Thing
2. Let It Be Me
3. Sarah
4. I Still Care For You
5. Winter Birds
6. Meg White
7. Hey Me, Hey Mama
8. Henry Nearly Killed Me(It's A Shame)
9. A Falling Through
10. Gossip In The Grain

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #543 in Music
• Released on: 2008-10-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .14 pounds

Customer Reviews

You Are The Best Thing, Baby
Ray Lamontagne, is an enigma. His voice is breathy and rich and 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' and his voice and lyrics stirred my soul.

"The Jesus-bearded troubadour is sort of a recluse. He doesn't enjoy doing interviews, refuses to make music videos, and hates reviews of his work--be they positive or negative. But for all the coffeehouse hacks trying to emulate Bob Dylan's verbosity and Van Morrison's impassioned croon, there's the soft-spoken Ray LaMontagne, singing his own wistful tunes without the weight of pretension and the hype of MTV." Joe Tacopina

This CD brings Ray Lamontagne to the fore. He is including a full orchestra. As he said in an interview, "It was time to open up a little bit more, not be quite so reserved in my choice of songs that I wanted to record." His choices in these ten songs are somewhat similar to his first two CD's but tell a story of their own. These songs are richer and more complete.

'You Are The Best Thing'-Best song of the ten and my favorite- backed-up by vocals and 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 Drake in 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 and 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

Ting Tang Whada Whada Lamontagne! What?? Anyway...
Ok I see that some reviewers have given Ray an unfair rating on this album. One reviewer said that on some songs it sounded like Ray was channeling Ray Charles and Johny Cash, and acted like that was the highest point of this album. Now I get that Ray's voice is full of soul and he has been influenced by some of the past greats, and that tends to pull in some of the older audience. But when Ray doesn't give them that redundant bluesy/soul sound they get all pissey and call it filler and say they just don't get it. What they fail to realize is that Ray is an artist of his own time, and of course will "channel", if you may, some of his past influences, but in all is more of his own self. I have learned to love his first two albums equally as they are a part of a growing process of a true artist, and after giving this album a couple listens I already know that I will love this one just as much as the first two. If you are on the fence about buying this album and are thinking about passing just because some stubborn oldies didn'nt get "When A Man Loves A Women" (Although a fantastic song!!) 10 times. Wonder no more and purchase this songwriting genius' latest masterpiece!!!

Touches your soul.
I love Ray LaMontagne and I've been a fan of everything he's done, but Gossip in the Grain is so unique and personal...I was amazed! People who call the songs filler or mush are not able to appreciate the art of the composition and the poetry that are these lyrics. I agree that this is not Trouble, but why would you want it to be? That's been done already! He has grown and evolved into something even more beautiful on this album. Winter Birds could be published poetry as far as I'm concerned. And every song has a hint of a different style and a different time in the history of American music. Please buy this album and keep an open mind.