The Bottom Line
- "Empty"
- "Barfly"
- "Can I Stay"
- "Till The Sun Turns Black"
- "Within You"
- None.
Description
- Ray LaMontagne is as much a skilled lyricist as he is a vocalist.
- Eleven more great songs from one of the most promising contemporary songwriters.
- Beautiful arrangements, complete with strings and horns.
Guide Review - Ray LaMontagne - Till The Sun Turns Black
His last effort only seemed to produce one big hit of a song for him – "Trouble" – which was no disappointment, of course; but suffice it to say that Till The Sun Turns Black will carve him a far more memorable niche in the folk-pop world.
Sometimes, for a moment, his songs can bring to mind everything from Ray Charles to early Chicago, Steven Stills, and Cat Stevens.
With "Empty," he showcases his ability to write a straight-up contemporary folk song about isolation and regret. Later on "Can I Stay," he seems to expound more on this theme, but this time with a little less isolation and a little more romance.
Then there are the songs like "Three More Days" and "You Can Bring Me Flowers" that slyly flirt more with old school folk-blues. The instrumental "Truly, Madly, Deeply" leads smoothly to the mind-shaking title track, with lines like, "Every breath you take's eternity until the sun turns black."
In line with his folk-pop contemporaries – men like Iron & Wine and Amos Lee – Ray LaMontagne delivers 11 songs that are just as haunting together as they are on their own.
