6 posts tagged “ray lamontagne”
Just went through my calendar and found that, after a very slow summer, this is looking like a huge fall for concerts. Can't say I'll be attending all of these concerts, but here is my interest list as of now:
And the countdown continues...
#80. Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie ruled the airwaves in the 80's with slow ballads like "Say You, Say Me" and "You Are". Those, coming off monster ballads as co-lead singer of The Commodores like "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady". But Richie does have the ability to go beyond the treacly ballad. The Commodores started out as a pretty hardcore funk/R&B band and Richie, believe it or not, can get funky. Of course, to me, he'll always be the guy that sang "All Night Long" for about 2 hours straight during the LA Olympics' closing ceremony in 1984.
Trivia: Lionel Richie's main competition in the love song genre in the 80's was probably Kenny Rogers. Did you know Lionel Richie wrote Rogers' megahit "Lady"?
Listen: Lionel Richie, "You Are"
#79. Kool Moe Dee
Is rapping singing? Maybe not exactly, but it counts as vocals and some people are great at it and some aren't, so I'm making room in my countdown for some of my favorite rap vocalists. (Apologies for missing anyone, since I pretty much stopped listening to rap in the early 90's -- when it started to suck.)
Kool Moe Dee was one of the originators, as a member of The Treacherous Three back in the day. He never made it big, due to unoriginal backing beats and raps that never went much past the bragging taunts of the early MC's, but his voice is still one of the best ever. He has a nice, clear deep booming voice and he could handle the fastest tongue-twisters around.
Listen: Kool Moe Dee, "I Go To Work"
#78. Ray LaMontagne
As I said before, most singer-songwriter folkies have nice but bland voices. New Hampshire's own LaMontagne does not. His voice is rich and genuine, the instrument of a guy who feels the music, not a guy who's been trained to sing it. Another true phone book voice. He excels at down-tempo love songs like "Burn", but he also can set fire to a folk/soul mix like "Trouble" or "You Are The Best Thing".
Listen: Ray LaMontange, "Three More Days"
#77. Brian Wilson (and the rest of The Beach Boys)
The Beach Boys need no introduction. They had no great range, musically speaking, but they were great at what they did and they sang in a style never heard before (and never really since, though you might consider The Bee Gees a modern version). The layered harmonies on every song created a new sound, though the attention to detail may have led to a major breakdown by Wilson, and Wilson's voice is probably one of the most recognizable in pop music history.
Listen: The Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations"
#76. Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison was probably the first guy in Rock 'n Roll to be considered a "singer", as opposed to just a howler or a rocker. His high, ethereal vocals always floated above the background music and really drew the attention of the listener more than the rhythm (a rarity in early rock records).
#75. Little Richard
Speaking of "howlers", next on the list is Little Richard. He was the guy (along with Jerry Lee Lewis) who put the danger into Rock 'n Roll and made the parents run in fear. No one sang blues or country music like that, but Rock 'n Roll was different, and Little Richard was one of the first to realize it. No one could then, or ever has been able to, "wooo" like Richard.
#74. Joe Cocker
As far as I know, Joe Cocker is a pure singer, which is actually pretty rare in the rock era. He never played an instrument and his whole career was based on his interpretations of other peoples' songs. Known a little for his ridiculous gesticulations while singing, but more for his raspy voice and exuberant takes on Beatles classics, it was really Cocker's way of rearranging and, usually, adding more power to a song's vocal lead, that made him great.
More trivia: Did you know Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin and ready for the Top 5 if I ever make a list of the Top 100 Guitarists) played lead guitar on Cocker's version of "With A Little Help From My Friends"?
Listen: Joe Cocker, "With A Little Help From My Friends"
#73. Jimmie Rodgers
Did you know there used to be a time when country music required talent and the best songwriters were writing country songs? Hard to believe, I know. But it's true, and Jimmie Rodgers, "The Singing Brakeman", was the first great country talent. A great guitarist and songwriter, but mostly known for his country yodel. Pure and true.
Listen: Jimmie Rodgers, "Blue Yodel #10"
#72. Gladys Knight
Among a list of pop music giants who recorded at Motown in the 60's, Gladys Knight gets lost too often. As soul music was coming of age, Knight and her Pips made some of the greatest music of the time. Knight had a strong voice, technically sound and powerful, with great soul.
Listen: Gladys Knight and The Pips, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
#71. Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson doesn't have the strongest voice, doesn't hit all the notes, isn't the fastest guitarist, isn't the best at anything. Except maybe musicality. What Nelson does is use his voice as an instrument and perform with that instrument the best way that fits the song. As an instrument, his voice matches perfectly with the broken old guitar he continues to use. His minimalist style (in singing and guitar-playing) is unique, maybe not to jazz music but certainly to country.
Listen: Willie Nelson, "Georgia On My Mind"
Here is my list of 10 favorites from this year in music.
10. Ray LaMontagne -- Gossip in the Grain
One incredible soul number and a bunch of really great ballads that utilize Ray's smooth voice to its fullest, and you've got another high-quality Ray LaMontagne album. Oddities are hit-and-miss: the old-timey Oh Me, Oh Mama hits, but the throw-away ode to Meg White misses.
9. Headlights -- Some Racing, Some Stopping
Musically a little more expansive than the first Headlights CD, but containing the same great pop songwriting. These songs are all catchy and accessible, and the female lead singer's vocals are awesome. (All bands should have female singers.)
8. The Grand Archives -- The Grand Archives
This album came out early this year and I kept listening to it all year long, and even heard the band in concert twice. They look like bearded, tattooed motorcycle-riders, but they sing sensitive indie rock, and they do it with great melodies and great harmonies and varied instrumentation.
7. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band -- Conor Oberst
Once again, I am wowed by Conor Oberst's songwriting talent. The way this album was put together, raw like a bunch of friends were just hanging out in Mexico making music and decided to record it, makes it seem so easy for this guy to write incredible songs. Maybe there was a lot more work put into it than it seems, but either way, this is another great record from a guy who doesn't make bad records.
6. Noah and the Whale -- Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down
These guys are the quirky indie pop/rockers on this year's list (the Bishop Allen slot). They're obviously smart guys, they write meaningful songs but they wrap them in bouncy 3-minute pop songs (though they also have some nice ballads in here, too). Their song Five Years Time seems to be ubiquitous these days in ads. You would know it if you heard it. It's a great song, but there are lots of others on here, too.
5. Little Joy -- Little Joy
This is the most unique album on my list, sounding different from all other indie rock, thanks to its Brazilian influences and laid-back style. This music is just plain cool and wins because I love any CD that you could play on a winter night sitting and chilling out by the fire.
4. Bob Dylan -- Bootleg Series Vol. 8, Tell Tale Signs
The latest in Bob's Bootleg Series was a bunch of outtakes and unreleased tracks from the last 10-20 years of his recording. That means it covers the amazing 'comeback' albums like Oh Mercy, Love and Theft and of course, the huge Grammy-winner Time Out Of Mind. It's amazing to hear alternate versions of released songs that sound like completely different songs (but generally just as good). In case anyone still thinks Dylan's good work was behind by 1970, here's more proof that isn't true.
3. Tyler Ramsey -- A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea
I can't even remember now where I heard about Tyler Ramsey, but somehow he got on my radar. I had been anticipating this album's release, got it the day it came out, and loved it from the first listen. It's basically acoustic folk music, with a little bit of indie rock thrown in. I love Ramsey's guitar playing, I love his voice, and I love his songs. I used to throw this in a rotation with Band Of Horses and Grand Archives and never had to hit the Skip button for hours.
2. Vampire Weekend -- Vampire Weekend
Way back in the beginning of the year, I started sharing my music with a friend at work, and this was the first CD I loaned her. Of course, she loved it. And then I'd give her other great CD's, and she'd always, to my frustration, say "I liked the Vampire Weekend better." I tried to explain to her that the Vampire Weekend album was "special" and unfair to compare against. Even back in January, it was clear this was one of the best records of the whole year. It's different and new and memorable and fun. Let's just hope they can follow it up with more great music, not just retreads on their unique style.
1. Bon Iver -- For Emma, Forever Ago
This is the ultimate wintertime, fireside record, written and recorded in a cabin in mid-winter Wisconsin. The falsetto harmonies and layered acoustic guitar will warm you. This is another of those rare albums where the songs all fit together to create a collection that's stronger than the sum of its parts. Though the theme of lost love is a bit bleak, the lyrics are obtuse enough to not be depressing. The music is very spare, but it manages to create an atmosphere and a feeling and maintain it throughout the whole CD. What I'm saying here is, don't just download a song or two, buy the whole thing.
PS -- Looking forward to a great 2009. New albums coming from:
Green Day, The Bird and the Bee, Au Revoir Simone, M. Ward, U2, Jill Sobule, and a new EP of unreleased Bon Iver from the For Emma sessions. And that's just from the already-announced stuff... Maybe this is the year we finally get new Devin Davis and new Sufjan Stevens...
Ray LaMontagne put out another high-quality record this year, Gossip In The Grain. While it's mostly made up of his standard mellow folk ballads ("Let It Be Me" being one of his all-time best), he did stretch out a little. He included a novelty in his jug-band romp "Hey Me, Hey Mama" (which is actually good, despite being a jug-band romp). And though he's sung songs that were very nearly soul music before (think of his first hit "Trouble", for example), with this song, "You Are the Best Thing", he goes full-on Memphis Horns (though actually recorded at Abbey Road) to great effect.
The soulful Ray Lamontagne has a new album, called "Gossip in the Grain", coming out in a couple months.
One listen to new song "Let It Be Me", available for streaming here, makes clear that Ray's still got it. It's really good, and I'm sure the new album's going to be one of the best of the year. You can pre-order it directly from Ray now.
Ray's also touring the US in the fall. I was impressed enough with Lamontagne when I saw him at the Newport Folk Festival to go out and buy his music, but I was underwhelmed when I saw him touring for his 2nd record. So this year's Paramount show in Oakland will be the decider, since I just got my tickets.
Although I'm disappointed I didn't listen to some of the CD's that probably belong on this list, I've certainly heard enough good ones to make a list, anyway.
First, there are a few CD's that are outstanding but don't qualify for one reason or another. Can't make a list without mentioning them, though:
Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche, Songs for Christmas
Mr. Stevens released not 1, but 2 non-qualifying CD's this year. First, there is The Avalanche, a set of outtakes from the Illinois CD (my #2 CD of 2005), that includes some unnecessary filler, but also contains some songs equal to those on Illinois, as well as alternate versions of great Illinois songs. Second was his re-release box set of Christmas music, which, even including some classic carols, remains as original as everything else Stevens releases.
What It Is: Funky Soul and Rare Grooves
I put it on my wish list, but couldn't wait and bought it myself right away, and it is as good as I expected. All old songs, but released in an exceptional new collection, packaged nicely with great liner notes.
This was going to be my #1 CD of 2006. However, it turns out it was released in 2005. Nonetheless, most of you probably haven't heard of it, so think of it as 2006 and go get it. It is stripped-down acoustic guitar and vocals. Gonzalez plays great fingerstyle guitar and he's got a terrific smooth voice to go along with it. He gets compared to Nick Drake a lot (which is a nice compliment), but I think he's much more modern. Crosses is probably my favorite song of the year, but they're all good.
Also let me mention some CD's I know are great even without listening to them. This list might be a lot different if I'd ever gotten around to buying these:
Badly Drawn Boy - Born in the UK
And now the list...
10. Say Hi To Your Mom - Impeccable Blahs
Say Hi To Your Mom is a 1-man production and the result is what you'd expect from a guy who writes & records music all by himself and goes by the name Say Hi To Your Mom. It's quirky minimalist pop, and while it has a few toes over the edge of too quirky and too minimalist, it manages to stay firmly planted on the side that's accessible and fun to listen to. Yes, the songs are all about vampires and the lyrics are forced, but the hooks are catchy and there are some clever turns of phrase.
9. Mates of State - Bring It Back
This was nothing too new for Mates of State. Same sound as previous albums. Just good synth-pop -- catchy & upbeat. Their insistent vocal style is so weird, I love it. And their sound, just drums and old Casiotone-style keyboards, is unique and instantly recognizable.
8. Ray Lamontagne - Until the Sun Turns Black
Lamontagne's first album, Trouble, was a sensation. A cross of folk and soul music bound up in late 60's, early 70's sensibilities, it earned him an instant cult following. His follow-up arrived this year and I think he did just what you should do on a 2nd album -- he maintained his overall sound, while expanding a bit to fuller productions and varied themes. Spare acoustic songs like Can I Stay and faster, bluesier numbers like Three More Days matched up nicely. Tyler Hicks covered one of his songs on American Idol last year. Hicks has a voice like a sledgehammer -- Ray Lamontagne's is like a velvet glove, and it brings all his songs up a level.
7. Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence
If I can't have Jose Gonzalez in my top ten, at least I have Alexi Murdoch. Like Gonzalez, he plays mostly fingerstyle acoustic guitar, midtempo ballads, with minimal backing. Also like Gonzalez, he gets compared often to Nick Drake, though the comparison fits better on Murdoch. He gets a little repetitive (like Drake did), but this is a great album.
Modern Times seems to be the synthesis of the blues-filled 1997 Dylan album Time Out of Mind and the Tin Pan Alley / vaudeville sound of 2001's Love and Theft. It is more refined than either of those albums and I think the writing is best on this new album. Which really ought to put it in the top spot (like on the Rolling Stone magazine list). The only problem is, Dylan's voice just can't carry slow-and-sweet ballads anymore. (Yes, I think it used to be able to -- listen to the song Visions of Johanna if you don't believe me.) As a result, the exceptionally crafted slow songs don't work for me. But the blues numbers are better than ever, and the closer Ain't Talkin' is a masterpiece.
5. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
It's hard to listen to this CD these days, in the midst of a dark cold winter, but when I bought it, it was sunny and warm (and I lived in Santa Monica, so it was that way always). And this music is the perfect soundtrack for a sunny day. It's bouncy rhythms and male-female harmonies will have you dancing down the street. It's very British (or Scottish, or whatever they are) and yes, it's twee. That's OK - there's a place for that.
4. Shawn Colvin - These Four Walls
Hooray for Shawn Colvin. Chewed up and spit out by the starmaker machinery, she came out even better on the other side. This CD gets away (mostly) from the generic 'rock' arrangements of her radio days and back to the base she built her career on: skilled acoustic guitar-playing, a great voice, and strong lyrics. And after a couple of bitter-seeming albums, this one comes off very optimistic and happy.
Josh Rouse music is warm and comforting. You can't help but feel good listening to it. There is nothing exceptional to mention about it, except for the fact that it's so consistently good. This album doesn't try to do more than it needs to -- it doesn't have a big concept or stylistic conceit -- it really does seem to be just the result of moving to Spain and absorbing some musical influence from the area, while maintaining his own style.
2. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
The Decemberists keep growing. 3rd album, major label debut, new instruments like bouzouki's, and some expansive prog-rock song cycles. But they stay rooted in the same things that have made all their music so great: A uniquely twisted literary sensibility, with songs covering murderous gangs (the beautiful lullaby Shankhill Butchers), Civil War widows (the upbeat duet Yankee Bayonet), and Romeo & Juliet-style starcrossed lovers (the flawless pop single O Valencia!) Although, to be honest, the prog-rock jams go a little too far and I wish the album had a couple more 3-minute pop tunes like O Valencia, the album is, like their others, stunningly original, and the closer Sons And Daughters brings it home perfectly.
1. Los Lobos - The Town and the City
The boys from East L.A. pulled off the double this year -- best CD and best live performance. After playing together for 30 years, most of which was spent experimenting to evolve their sound, this is an exceedingly self-confident and mature band. And The Town and The City is an exceedingly self-confident, mature album. Los Lobos have turned down the experimental sounds a bit (but clearly maintained a certain amount of jazz and electronic influence) and written an amazing set of songs about real people, struggling to work, love, and just get by in America. This isn't the most upbeat album - in fact, it's a bit of a downer - but its songs have a strong message and they carry real emotion. Hold On is almost a modern-day spiritual, repeating "killing myself to survive", if only for one more day. If You Were Only Here Tonight expresses the frustration of a man who seems to have lost his way, in losing his partner. And Little Things is a lament steeped in regret. However, life is not all bad, and the CD has its positive songs, too. Chuco's Cumbia is another brilliant Cesar Rosas spanglish-inflected dance tune, The City paints a vibrant picture of urban life, and Free Up brings a laid-back, easygoing vibe near the close of the album. Although there's no reason to expect any less of Los Lobos by now, this is an incredibly rewarding CD listen after listen after listen.
