Ray LaMontagne must have been born with two souls. There's no other explanation for his unbelievable voice. No other artist today can match his raspy and soulful sound, making every word that comes out of his mouth sound like classic poetry. When he croons "I could hold you in my arms, I could hold you forever," with his eyes closed tightly shut, you believe it. You have to believe it.
LaMontagne headlined a show at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee on Monday. Most of his set list contained songs from his debut album Trouble an incredibly moody, sleepy disc that's hard to confine to one specific genre — the closest would be folk. As expected, live renditions of "Shelter" and "Hold You in My Arms" were even more richly layered than on the CD.
What came unexpected was how much some of the other songs were elevated. LaMontagne added a sort of scat-like vocal to the end of "Forever My Friend," turning it into a highlight of the show. His harmonica riff made "All the Wild Horses" the ideal dreamy ballad for rainy days.
LaMontagne started the show solo, just him and his guitar, but later band members took to the stage adding another guitar, a cello and drums. However, the songs he played alone on stage were the most impressive because it showcased his true talent.
The last song of the show, entitled "Can I Stay" took the show to an entirely new level. Its sweetly tender lyrics make the wait for LaMontagne's next album that much harder to bear, but LaMontagne said after the show that the CD is expected to hit stores next April.
In between songs, LaMontagne joked with the audience in his own soft-spoken sort of way (the words "piñata of hallucinogens" were definitely dropped). Approximately 20 minutes before the concert he was spotted hanging around outside his tour bus, just talking. After the concert, he came to the front of the stage to talk and sign autographs. It's surprising that that powerful of a voice comes from such quiet and reserved guy.
For those of you that don't know, the Pabst Theater is an amazing place to see a concert. Unlike the Rave, with its free-for-all standing room only design, the Pabst is seated. The high ceilings, crystal chandeliers and detailed architecture and artwork set the mood for LaMontagne's kind of music. If you haven't been, do yourself a favor and get tickets to see Atmosphere, Nickel Creek or Amos Lee, all of whom will be gracing the stage in October.
LaMontagne's music seems to be universally appealing to anyone. His lyrics are sincere and honest. But it all comes back to his voice. Ultimately the voice is the deciding factor in music — the best lyrics will fall on deaf ears if people don't like a singer's voice. There's no way someone could not appreciate LaMontagne's music. It transcends all genres and moods and has that rare feeling of timelessness; a quality few contemporary artists, if any, can match.
Grade: A
This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 29, 2005.