Till the Sun Turns Black

Ray LaMontagne's second release on RCA, 2006's TILL THE SUN TURNS BLACK, follows many of the cues of his superb debut TROUBLE. He is still a consummate student of classic singer-songwriter rock in the vein of Neil Young, and as in some of Young's most heartfelt work, cinematic string flourishes swell behind introspective lyrics and the thrust of a beautifully understated voice. "Never learned to count my blessings, I choose instead to dwell in my disasters" La Montagne sings on "Empty," and his near whisper invites the listener to do the same. "You Can Bring Me Flowers" rewrites the Stones' classic "Dead Flowers" from the perspective of the jilted lover and "Three More Days" echoes the blue-eyed husky funk of Joe Cocker. LaMontagne is certainly a classicist, but his deft chops reinvigorate the familiar with a flair all the singer's own.