Ray LaMontagne is further proof that middle-of-the-road music will always win. Play it safe. Stick to the formula, bring in the catchy melody and some deep-down-south raspy vocals, and you’ve basically secured some ultra ker-ching from the masses.
Three More Days, the first single from his June 2007 album Till The Sun Turns Black, released with 14th Floor Records, is slightly reminiscent of an Alan Parker’s The Commitments track - a film which excelled at reworking old classics into digestible twee versions.
A rumoured loner and publicity-phobe, and having popped out of seemingly nowhere, to give up a steady factory job for the trials and tribulations of a music career, LaMontagne doesn’t miss a trick. He’s got the soulfulness, he’s got the horn section. He’s got a Brits nomination, the support of a label responsible for the likes of David Gray and Damien Rice, and the skills of producer Ethan Johns, who worked with Kings of Leon.
|
His surprise success with the genuinely touching single Trouble released in 2003 has created a large following, and some big names chipping in to help, a phenomenon which would presumably keep rolling through sheer momentum, as is normally the case with a strong beginner casting a wide enough net. The question is, can the music sustain this fascination if it only delivers faux goods.
(http://www.raylamontagne.com/)
|
