In addition to recording the best of the Gnarls covers, Ray LaMontagne’s what Rolling Stone calls a “backwoods Van Morrison.” Trouble wowed with its soulful folk, but it’s Ray’s backstory that I really like: a Stephen Stills song convinced him to quit his job at the local shoe factory. Now Ray’s all fancy with his running water and electricity, but it hasn’t hurt his game none. The singer/songwriter’s still extremely shy and guarded about his personal life. “My social interaction is very, very limited. I’m not a whole lot good at making friends or keeping them,” he tells The Independent. Fair enough, we’ll just listen to the music then.
Here’s a pretty cut from Ray’s sophomore album Till The Sun Turns Black out 8/29. Interesting pick for an album opener; at 6+ minutes it’s the longest song on the CD, and isn’t particularly folky.
Ray LaMontagne – “Be Here Now” (MP3 Link Expired)
You can also stream the first single “Can I Stay”: WIN MEDIA | QT
Ray completists can download dozens of unreleased cuts here and here.
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I’m usually not into those songs where the melody is done both vocally and on guitar at the same time – it always seems like then singer needs help. But this one is definitely ok.
http://www.musictimes.com.au
Has it leaked yet? I gotta check, I’ve been waiting for that one a while.
For a second I thought it was a Mason Jennings cover… and that would be kind of weird.
kelly clarkson totally covered ray last night at her dc concert