Lauded singer/songwriter, Ray LaMontagne released his much-anticipated third studio album, "Gossip in the Grain", on October 14, 2008 on RCA Records. "Gossip in the Grain" achieved his highest ever debut on the Billboard Charts at #3, with over 60,000 units sold. Touching upon a range of styles and musical settings spanning pastoral folk, railroad blues, front porch country, and plangent balladry - "Gossip In The Grain" proves to be his most creative and emotionally expansive collection to date. Songs "Let It Be Me" was featured on the seventh episode of the first season of the new television show, "Fringe", with "Winter Birds" featured on the tenth episode of the fifth season of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy". Working again with
producer Ethan Johns, the album also featured LaMontagne's touring band: Jennifer Condos on bass, Eric Heywood on guitar, and Ethan Johns on drums. The opening act on much of his 2008 US Tour, fellow singer/songwriter Leona Naess, guests on three songs: "I Still Care for You", "A Falling Through", and "Gossip in the Grain".
As LaMontagne explains "It was time to open up a little bit more, not be quite so reserved in my choice of songs that I wanted to record." Recently called by Vanity Fair "a fresh reminder that the genuine artist is not yet an extinct species," Gossip In The Grain reconfirms Ray LaMontagne as an artist and a craftsman without limits, a songwriter who is able to work his melodic gifts and distinctive lyricism through any of the myriad musical traditions that catches his fancy.
Raymond Charles "Ray" LaMontagne is an American folk singer-songwriter who lives on a farm in Maine with his wife and two sons. Reportedly, after hearing a Stephen Stills song, LaMontagne decided to quit his job at a shoe factory and pursue a career in music. He has since released three albums, Trouble, Till the Sun Turns Black and Gossip in the Grain. In the UK, Trouble was a top 5 hit, and the title track of the album was a top 25 hit. Till the Sun Turns Black was a top 40 hit in the US. A soft-spoken person who is known for his raspy voice, LaMontagne has won a number of awards for his music and has performed at several charity events.
In a period of two weeks, LaMontagne re-recorded Trouble at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, California with producer Ethan Johns. RCA Records released the album on September 14, 2004. The album featured performances by Nickel Creek violinist Sara Watkins on two tracks, and Stephen Stills's daughter Jennifer Stills on another. In the US, the album reached a low peak of #189 on the Billboard 200, but sold over 250,000 copies. Trouble has sold over 400,000 copies worldwide.
During a tour to promote the album, LaMontagne played six songs for an episode of Austin City Limits, which first aired on October 29, 2005. On the third week of finals in the fifth season of American Idol, eventual winner Taylor Hicks performed "Trouble". Chris Sligh, an American Idol Season 6 Top-12 finalist, also performed the tune to rave reviews from the judges. An EP of LaMontagne's performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival was released on December 6, 2005. "Trouble", "All the Wild Horses", and "Burn" have been used as background music for the TV show Rescue Me. "All the Wild Horses" was featured on the show's soundtrack, which
was released on May 9, 2006.
LaMontagne's second album, Till the Sun Turns Black, was released August 29, 2006 in the US. Also produced by Ethan Johns, the album featured more instrumentation than Trouble, including the use of a horn section and string section on several of the songs. Singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata provided background vocals on the song "Barfly." The album peaked at #28 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 28,000 copies in its first week of release. The album also sold enough copies to be a top three heatseeker album in New Zealand. According to his website, the first single from the album was "Three More Days". LaMontagne performed on The Tonight Show on October 6, 2006 to promote the album. His song "Till the Sun Turns Black" was featured on the television show "ER", and his songs "Lesson Learned" and "Within You" have been used on the CW drama "One Tree Hill". "Be Here Now" was also used in the official trailer for Away From Her, and was featured in 27 Dresses and an episode of Bones. Ray LaMontagne recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road in October 2006. He shared his episode with Shawn Colvin, Nerina Pallot and The Zutons.
As LaMontagne explains "It was time to open up a little bit more, not be quite so reserved in my choice of songs that I wanted to record." Recently called by Vanity Fair "a fresh reminder that the genuine artist is not yet an extinct species," Gossip In The Grain reconfirms Ray LaMontagne as an artist and a craftsman without limits, a songwriter who is able to work his melodic gifts and distinctive lyricism through any of the myriad musical traditions that catches his fancy.
During a tour to promote the album, LaMontagne played six songs for an episode of Austin City Limits, which first aired on October 29, 2005. On the third week of finals in the fifth season of American Idol, eventual winner Taylor Hicks performed "Trouble". Chris Sligh, an American Idol Season 6 Top-12 finalist, also performed the tune to rave reviews from the judges. An EP of LaMontagne's performance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival was released on December 6, 2005. "Trouble", "All the Wild Horses", and "Burn" have been used as background music for the TV show Rescue Me. "All the Wild Horses" was featured on the show's soundtrack, which