Trouble

Rolling Stone (p.177) - 3 stars out of 5 - "It has a dusky ambience that highlights his sandpaper croon and suggests songful possibility." Uncut (p.99) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[Q]uietly magnificent." Uncut (p.75) - Ranked #14 in Uncut's "Best New Albums of 2004" - "[A] gloriously uncontaminated record..." Mojo (Publisher) (p.96) - 3 stars out of 5 - "LaMontagne is blessed with a wood-smoky Paul Rodgers-meets-Norah Jones delivery, oozing the rough-hewn sensitivity of mid-'70s Marlboro ads and Kris Kristofferson movies....He's something special indeed."

The best songs on Trouble, the debut release from songwriter Ray LaMontagne, draw on deep wells of emotion, and with LaMontagne's sandpapery voice, which recalls a gruffer, more sedate version of Tim Buckley or an American version of Van Morrison, they seem to belie his years. The title tune, "Trouble," is an instant classic, sparse and maudlin (in the best sense), and songs like "Narrow Escape," a ragged, episodic waltz, are equally impressive, with careful, cinematic lyrics that tell believable stories of wounded-hearted refugees on the hard road of life and love. Most of the tracks fall into a midtempo shuffle rhythm, so the words have to carry a lot in order to avert a sort of dull sameness, and when it works, it works big, and when it doesn't, well, LaMontagne is so serious and sincere about his craft that you tend to forgive him instantly. Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek guests on "Hannah" and the sad, somber lullaby "All the Wild Horses," playing fiddle and adding vocals, and producer Ethan Johns adds drums and other touches on most tracks. The sound is measured and sparse, with few frills (a five-piece string section is used on a few tracks, but is never intrusive), all of which supports the emotional urgency of LaMontagne's writing. "How Come" sounds a bit like a rewrite of Dave Mason's "Feelin' Alright," and a couple of other cuts seem a bit labored, but overall this is an impressive debut by an extremely special songwriter. ~ Steve Leggett

「歌いはじめたとき、僕は内向的な人間だったから奇妙な感じがしたよ。最初はただ囁くようだった」と語るのは、31歳の新人レイ・ラモンターニュ。そのちょっとかすれた歌声には、ヴァン・モリソンにも通ずる豊かなソウル・フィーリングが宿っている。静かに、だが確実に涙腺を揺さぶる歌に豊かな響きを与えているのは、ライアン・アダムスとの仕事でも知られるイーサン・ジョーンズ。今年いちばんにグッときた新人です。
bounce (C)狩野 卓永