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Gossip in the Grain | 
| Artist: Ray Lamontagne
Label: 14th Floor
Category: Music
List Price: £15.99
Buy New: £8.98
You Save: £7.01 (44%)
New (24) Used (4) from £8.25
Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 142
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
EAN: 5051865102021
ASIN: B001G79P66
Release Date: October 13, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | You Are The Best Thing | | • | Let It Be Me | | • | Sarah | | • | I Still Care For You | | • | Winter Birds | | • | Meg White | | • | Hey Me, Hey Mama | | • | Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's A Shame) | | • | A Falling Through | | • | Gossip In The Grain |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 You Are The Best Thing Baby November 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ray Lamontagne, is an enigma. His voice is breathy and rich and his trademark. His songwriting is brilliant at times. He is a genius at his craft. But, he is not reaching the masses. I found him, oh, several years ago with his first CD, 'Trouble' and his voice and lyrics stirred my soul.
"The Jesus-bearded troubadour is sort of a recluse. He doesn't enjoy doing interviews, refuses to make music videos, and hates reviews of his work--be they positive or negative. But for all the coffeehouse hacks trying to emulate Bob Dylan's verbosity and Van Morrison's impassioned croon, there's the soft-spoken Ray LaMontagne, singing his own wistful tunes without the weight of pretension and the hype of MTV." Joe Tacopina
This CD brings Ray Lamontagne to the fore. He is including a full orchestra. As he said in an interview, "It was time to open up a little bit more, not be quite so reserved in my choice of songs that I wanted to record." His choices in these ten songs are somewhat similar to his first two CD's but tell a story of their own. These songs are richer and more complete.
'You Are The Best Thing'-Best song of the ten and my favorite- backed-up by vocals and this is Ray at his best.
'Let It Be Me'- A traditional Ray song-showcasing his beautiful voice.
'Sarah'- One of the most beautifully written songs- many say he sounds like Nick Drake in this saga.
'I Still Care For You'-The big band background with Ray barely speaking.
'Winter Birds'- The poem like wording is exquisite. The best writing of his career.
'Meg White'- Such a complete sidestepping of his usual fare. Feet stomping good- a tribute to Meg White of the 'Stripes'- you either love it or hate it.
'Hey Me, Hey Mama'- Folksy singing- absolutely love this new Ray- 'Where ya been so long?'
'Henry Nearly Killed Me'-Fast paced song with a story line to be followed.
'A Falling Through'- A quiet, thoughtful song.
'Gossip In The Grain'- Soft, listen carefully to the lyrics- beautiful musical background.
Ray Lamontagne is a musician who has not reached his prime. He has stepped out of his footprint with this CD. Gaining new ground and new fans. He is quietly taking his place along side the greats of his genre.
Highly Recommended. prisrob 11-02-08
Trouble
[[ASIN:B000GPIPVU Till the Sun Turns Black
A Classy and Thoughtful Album November 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Firstly I rate Trouble and TTSTB are two of my favourite albums. I approached this album cautiously, hoping to love it as much as Ray's previous work. On first listen, I hated it, excepting track 1 which is instantly likeable. 2nd and 3rd listens I still disliked about half of the album, and the other half seemed non-descript. After the 4th, 5th, and 6th listen, I had come to appreciate it as the subtle piece of genius songwriting it really is, albeit laced with a little quirkiness...
It's hard to describe why Ray's work tends to take time to appreciate, but it really does. This album is a deep, carefully crafted work of art. It's playful, suprising and a little wacky in places (Meg White, Hey me, Hey mama) but it's in the slower songs (Winter Birds, Gossip in the Grain) that the quality shines through, the last track will literally have you pressing play again almost out of automated response.
I'd recommend this album to anyone who can appreciate quailty music, but would advise patience, a patience that will be paid back with a deep appreciation for what a gifted musician Ray Lamontagne really is.
Let's be clear, it's not perfect, but it's still up there with the best.
As a side note, for anyone that likes Ray's music, if you haven't heard Counting Crows - August and Everything After, it's definitely worth a chance, it's truly a classic album, just check the reviews!
A classic in the making November 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After watching Ray LaMontagne singing live on t.v I was hooked. After reading the previous reviews it is apparent that some people do not like this genre of music, and that is fine. However if you do like this genre this album is a must have! I thought Trouble was a great album and was really suprised at how much Ray LaMontagne had grown musically for the classic TTSTB. Well he has just done it again. In Gossip in the grain Ray LaMontagne has again taken his music writing skills to a new level. After watching him live in his last tour I will be looking forward to watching him perform music from the new album. So to sum it all up, it is rare to find a hugely talented performer without the ego, and this man has talent in abundance.
the difficult third album? October 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Having waited a long time for this album to arrive and read the other reviews I didn't know what to expect. Ray however has not let us down, after his masterful first two albums I think he deserves the chance to experiment with other genres and ideas. An album along the lines of his first two, whilst good would not have shown Ray's talent off fully. Gossip in the Grain is superb and as other reviewers have said it is a grower. Certain tracks are immediately classic, whilst others take 3 or 4 listens until you grasp the quality of them. Any Ray fan or for that matter anyone that appreciates songwriting should buy this album. Difficult third album yes, but definitely a classic.
A great show of diversity and longevity October 18, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Like many great albums this is a grower. You'll think you know what your favourites are but you'll listen again and other songs will emerge as magic. Trouble was heartfelt whilst retaining catchiness. TTSTB was dark, epic and moving. `Gossip' is all of those things and so much more. Here Ray shows what he is capable of in Genres from Soul to Country to Folk to Foot Stompin' Blues and back to gut wrenching Soul. This is a man that LISTENS to music. Lots of music and absorbs it like a sponge.
The single (You are the best...) is just pure STAX soul. Let It Be Me takes us back to classic Ray indicative of `Shelter' off Trouble. Wonderful vocals here. Sarah is a wistful ukulele laden number that reminds me of early Van Morrison. I Still Care for You with Leona Naess is a beautiful and calming song (a real grower). Winter Birds is possibly the greatest song the man has ever written. Nick Drake style picking with very strong images conjured up in the lyrics pertaining to the winter months.
After the first half, this album takes a trip through country and blues paying a tongue in cheek homage to Meg White. As well as a glimpse at his sense of humour, Meg White has some very Beatles-esque (White album) backing vocals. There is also use of the Metronome used on the White album. Hey Me, Hey Mama has a real jaunty barn dance feel to it. I can imagine an instrumentally talented southern family jamming this on their porch one Sunday afternoon. Henry Nearly Killed Me is what many fans have been waiting for...a blues foot stomper (hey he has the voice for it). My only complaint about this is that it doesn't breakout to be MORE raucous. A Falling Through (another grower) calms things down to bring us to the end which is the title track. The closing song wouldn't have been out of place on TTSTB with its eerie air about it and the scrape of Ray's pick audible over the strings, a great finish.
Overall I'd give the album 4.5 but settled for 5 (to compensate for the ridiculously childish and uninformed reviews of some of the others). Ray Lame-ontagne?? Deary Me. If you like blues/soul/country plus all the other sounds and individuality associated with established American music, then I recommend giving this a real listen.
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