In an indie-rock era saturated with smirky, slacker irony, the roots-rocker Ray La Montagne comes across as downright solemn. He and his group execute cleanly and almost reverentially, funk, blues, jazz and country, which La Montagne sings in a honey coated gruff voice that veers between Joe Cocker and Tim Hardin. The man is sincere and like Tim Hardin, he knows how to move three chord rounds.
The writing is conceptually clean musically and lyrically. La Montagne deftly quotes familiar musical constructions while making them fresh. For instance, “Beg Steal Or Borrow” is reminiscent of “If I Was a Carpenter,” but sounds nothing like it. “New York City’s Killing Me” is almost a parody of a country lament.
While the songs have the pedal steel trappings of country, the vibe is more the rock practiced by The Band and the soul of Van Morrison.
Read the complete review here at MusicAngle.
Related: La Montagne, music review, Ray La Montagne, Tim Hardin, Van Morrison
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