Over the years we’ve seen Ray LaMontagne experiment with different sounds and genres, but his iconic soft-spoken voice and the dreamy atmosphere displayed in “It Takes Me Back” is something only he can pull off.
“I spent my life on stages, calling out the changes
to a pickup band, in a tired van broke down in the rain.
The tires whine, the moon shines, on Highway signs flying by,
the countryside just shrugs and sighs, and looks the other way.”
We see more vintage postcards from Savannah, Georgia and St. Augustine, Florida. More footage of livestock from the road and clouds float across the screen.
LaMontagne records with Sierra Ferrell
Last year LaMontagne was on tour with North Carolina songwriter Sierra Ferrell. “I try to find someone who’s a good fit with the tour that will make for a nice night of music,” LaMontagne said in an interview with Matt Pelsor from WTTS. “That’s not as easy as it sounds.”
LaMontage received records from his manager for potential opening acts and Ferrell’s voice stood out.
“I just thought she was such a natural singer,” LaMontagne said. “It’s so nice to hear a female singer who sings so naturally.”
Ferrell made such an impact on LaMontagne that he decided to re-record “I Was Born to Love You” as a duet.
“I love playing with other musicians because you never know what’s going to happen,” LaMontagne said. “They bring so much to it that songs will just blossom in a way that you can’t predict.”
The pedal steel guitar and harmonica put you in a daydream as you listen to Montagne sing about West Virginia and Tennessee and being confronted by the law. It reminds me of John Denver and that connection between landscapes and the heart where you can see images in your mind of the vastness of the world.
LaMontagne is currently touring through Canada and the Pacific Northwest. Ticket information can be found here.
Photo distributed to Flickr by Tammy Lo.
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