Ray LaMontagne's voice — full of the warm yearning of a young Van Morrison — is his calling card, and he's worked it over two records of heart-wrenching balladry. But his latest finds him breaking his own mold a bit. "I Still Care for You" has a gentle Radiohead vibe; "Winter Birds" verges on psych folk. There's also a new playfulness: "Hey Me, Hey Mamma" is a goofy jug-band number, and "Meg White" is a letter from a well-mannered stalker that begins with a spaghetti-Western flourish. "Meg White, you're all right/In fact, I think you're pretty swell," the singer confesses. It's so earnest, you hope everything works out — so long as he doesn't steal the White Stripes drummer away from her main gig.

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WILL HERMES

(Posted: Oct 30, 2008)