I had the pleasure of attending an intimate and impromptu gig at the famous, Ed Sullivan theatre on Broadway, NY on Wednesday night. All courtesy of my good friend and ex-colleague who was able to hook me up with tickets for a singer that I have long admired, Ray LaMontagne (accompanied by The Pariah Dogs).
Ray Lamontagne is a raspy, gritty voiced singer from New Hampshire who plies his trade in folk-blues/folk-rock style music that can, at times, border country. I much prefer his rocking blues type tracks like, ‘You Are the Best Thing’ and ‘Jolene’. Four albums in, his latest release, ‘God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise’ is the first in which he has collaborated with others (in this instance, ‘The Pariah Dogs’) will undoubtedly prove to be immensely popular.
Ray Lamontagne is a raspy, gritty voiced singer from New Hampshire who plies his trade in folk-blues/folk-rock style music that can, at times, border country. I much prefer his rocking blues type tracks like, ‘You Are the Best Thing’ and ‘Jolene’. Four albums in, his latest release, ‘God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise’ is the first in which he has collaborated with others (in this instance, ‘The Pariah Dogs’) will undoubtedly prove to be immensely popular.
To describe, LaMontagne's vocals as incredible is a major understatement. I have seen hundreds of live acts over the years and in terms of vocals, not many are on par with this man. The strength of his voice and power of his lyrics can only really be compared to my all time favourite female vocalist, Tracy Chapman. She totally blew me away (unexpectedly) when seeing her play the Armadillo in Glasgow several years ago. Not unlike, Chapman, LaMontagne comes across as painfully shy, introverted and quiet, yet explodes when his lips meet the mic...it's almost like an alter ego.
His music is not too dissimilar to that of, Damien Rice who I am also very partial to. Both generally excel in moody, sad, sultry songs that stir all kinds of emotions when listening. LaMontagne's music crosses jazz, country, bluegrass, rock and blues and with a talented backing band in, 'The Pariah Dogs', this was quite the one hour set. The female bass player, Jennifer Condos was totally lost in the music throughout while plucking away at the bass strings. Meanwhile, drummer, Jay Bellerose used an unfamiliar chopstick holding like style, Eric Heywood cut through quite the ensemble on the pedal steel and, Kevin Barry was exceptional on lead and lap steel guitars.
His music is not too dissimilar to that of, Damien Rice who I am also very partial to. Both generally excel in moody, sad, sultry songs that stir all kinds of emotions when listening. LaMontagne's music crosses jazz, country, bluegrass, rock and blues and with a talented backing band in, 'The Pariah Dogs', this was quite the one hour set. The female bass player, Jennifer Condos was totally lost in the music throughout while plucking away at the bass strings. Meanwhile, drummer, Jay Bellerose used an unfamiliar chopstick holding like style, Eric Heywood cut through quite the ensemble on the pedal steel and, Kevin Barry was exceptional on lead and lap steel guitars.
Given he is currently touring his new release, ‘God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise’, most of my old favorites e.g. Let It Be Me, Empty, Jolene etc. did not feature in this short set. Regardless, this was hugely enjoyable and the crowd, to a man/woman was on their feet by the end. Some of the music was a little too folk and country for me, but I really enjoyed tracks like, 'New York City's Killin' Me', 'Like Rock & Roll and Radio' and 'Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)'. The performance was simply sensational. Rating 8.5/10
It's hard to really say anything bad about Ray. Wish I could have been there for this one.
ReplyDeleteMy wife Shannon would have killed to have been there...as soon as I told her that you went to see this show...I have noticed a "slight obsession"!
ReplyDeleteAye. Ray LaMontagne is a 'must see' live performer. He is eloquent, humble, poetic and above all, a great singer. He's playing Central Park in a couple of weeks and despite not having tickets, the missus and I may have a picnic in close proximity to Rumsfeld Stage. May not see, but will be able to hear pretty clearly.
ReplyDelete