BY SARAH CHAVEY
Daily Arts Writer
Published October 12, 2008
Ray LaMontagne
Gossip In the Grain
RCA Victor
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3 of 5 stars
Ray LaMontagne could play “Welcome To the Jungle” and girls everywhere would still be falling in love. His raspy voice and hushed tone wins hearts left and right without even trying. Nothing against bluesy ballads (who doesn’t love a good tear jerker?) but for a third album, fans and critics alike were probably looking for a little bit more than lovesick lyrics and solo acoustic sets. Gossip In the Grain lives up to most of those expectations, boasting soulful style and a full sound.
LaMontagne’s past two albums, Trouble and When The Sun Turns Black, consisted mostly of his solo work. Sans his touring band, the sound was folk-oriented and came off like run-of-the-mill solo acoustica. But that wasn’t so surprising considering he’s part of Jack Johnson’s Brushfire record label, home to innumerable acoustic crooners — Matt Costa, Mason Jennings and Neil Halstead just to name a few. It’s practically a boys’ club for heartbroken folksters.
On Gossip In the Grain, LaMontagne is joined by his touring band members as well as fellow singer/songwriter Leona Naess. This step away from his hitherto one-man-show opens up creative opportunities that he takes advantage of. The first single “You Are The Best Thing” reveals signs of soul with a full horn section and heavy beat à la Otis Redding, an artist who LaMontagne has drawn from in the past and emulates strongly on this album. “Let It Be Me” is a heavy ballad that follows the same formula as LaMontagnes’s chick-flick soundtrack offerings “Shelter” (from “Prime”) and “Hold You In My Arms” (from “The Last Kiss”).
“Meg White” on the other hand, stands out on the track list for various reasons. Obviously the title — the name of the White Stripes Drummer Meg White — calls attention to the track. But the song itself is novel, beginning with an old western style whistling, then breaking into hard drumming (or at least hard by Ray LaMontagne standards), all while wooing Ms. White. LaMontagne confesses “Meg White, you’re alright / In fact I think you’re pretty swell / can’t you tell?” Not to burn any bridges with the other White, he adds “Meg white, baby you’re the bomb / Oh Jack is great, don’t get me wrong / But this is your song.” It’s a cute concept for a song, but on the album it seems awkward and out of place, not fitting in with the other tracks stylistically and confusing everyone with the unexpected industry mentionings.
When it comes to the realm of the “panty dropper,” which Ray LaMontagne arguably belongs to, true talent and sincerity are usually called into question. This is mostly because many ballad-heavy albums by these artists can come off as formulaic, dull and even depressing. Gossip In The Grain is markedly less angst-ridden than LaMontagne’s past two albums. Its Memphis soul saves it from the usual trappings of an acoustic solo act and breaks him away from the pack.
