Singer Songwriters seem to be enjoying something of a renaissance at the moment. Damien Rice finds himself on the soundtrack to the latest trans-atlantic ‘rom-com’ whilst Willy Mason is the new darling of, well, just about everybody.
It’s not that they ever went away; it’s just that some quality seems to be being injected back into the selection. It’s been a long time since Dylan, Young, Stevens et al sat a top the musical pile. Indeed, Ray Lamontagne owes much to this golden age of the Singer Songwriter, it was the Stephen Stills song ‘Tree Top Flyer’ blaring away on his alarm clock radio that convinced him to pack in his job at the Shoe Factory and devote himself to music.
This devotion is palpable in every single line that is sung tonight. Every word finds its way out of somewhere way down deep. Every story is lived, experienced and real, almost frighteningly real at points. Whilst during ‘Burn’ he sings “And try to ignore all this blood on the floor, it’s just my heart on my sleeve that is bleeding” you swear you see something splash then get lost in the red hue of the room. This frank communication with the crowd never becomes over stated or cringe-worthy. Exchanges between songs are for the most part mumbled and inaudible. Every so often you can make out his apologies for the sound, though I’m not sure why and when after Burn, a tale of lost love, someone shouts out “She’s not worth it Ray” it is replied to with, I think, a simple “Yeah she is”.
The stage set up is very simple. Just Drums, Double-Bass (Cello), Guitar and Vocals. The rhythm section helps to emphasise the songs as they push and pull, at once slow confessional and upbeat defiance. The bass in particular is played with feeling and purpose, each note being slid to and then thrown out to the room. The crowd are for the most part immaculate, achieving complete silence during songs such as Shelter and Jolene (no, not the Dolly Parton song), whilst Trouble, How Come and Forever my Friend achieve near ‘sing-along’ status, the only hurdle being the fact that no one can keep up with Ray.
It is his voice that really sets him apart from much of what is out there at the moment. It manages to span the full range of emotions on display throughout his songs and as he lets us into his little world you can feel it coming from the very tips of his toes, working its way through his body and appearing in his mouth, all the better for having travelled through his veins, collecting truth and honesty on its way.
There are also new songs on show tonight, including the set closer. It is a highlight, Ray a solitary figure on stage and the crowd completely silent so as to hear him barely strumming the strings of his guitar as he spins yet another tale from the pit of somewhere we’ve all been but rarely have the will or inclination to revisit.
Tonight’s show is excellent, the songs transferring well to the live setting. You get the feeling that there is much more to come from Ray Lamontagne, but that he is unlikely to achieve the fame and status of many of his predecessors, for which I am sure he is grateful. It seems he is happy to travel around sharing these songs with a few people each night and judging by tonights reaction as long as he continues to do that there will be people more than happy to come and watch.
Ray Lamontagne played at the Rescue Rooms on 3rd March 2005
Photo: Sam Poyser
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