Review - Ray Lamontagne: Till The Sun Turns Black

by John Mizer
October 6, 2006

Following up a debut as impressive as 2004's "Trouble" is no easy feat. Ray Lamontagne had raised the bar to an almost unfair level but has managed a triumph with the release of Till The Sun Turns Black. By using producer Ethan Johns as his not-so-secret weapon, Lamontagne avoids rehashing old territory with the addition of horns and strings without overschmaltzing the songs. The music has become more interesting while not going off the deep end. The production of this record is sterling and will only pad Johns' already impressive resume. Although Lamontagne drifts into Joe Cocker/Dusty Springfield territory with "Three More Days" he stays clear of his obvious influences for the bulk of this album. A nice rainy day listen.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5