With his breakthrough track, “Trouble”, off the album of the same name, Ray LaMontagne made a distinctive name for himself in the music industry as a unique, soulful singer/songwriter with an acoustic and raw sound. But it has been more than 10 years since the cult favourite of folk, roots and classic rock fans released the emotive track, which turned decades-old blues and soul usages into an unlikely hit. Another hit track followed, 2008’s “You Are the Best Thing,” but massive commercial success has eluded the reclusive troubadour. Will Supernova be the album that takes his career to the stratosphere?
For his debut album, LaMontagne won four awards, including three Boston Music Awards (Best Male Singer/Songwriter, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year) and an XM Nation Music Award for Acoustic Rock Artist of the Year. LaMontagne has received a nomination from the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards for Best New Touring Artist, the BRIT Awards for International Breakthrough Act, the MOJO Awards for Best New Act, and was given the title of Best Voice in 2006 by Esquire. In December 2010, LaMontagne received two Grammy nominations and won the award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
After his critically acclaimed first four acoustic albums, LaMontagne employed the services of producer Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, at his Easy Eye studio in Nashville, for a game-changing record of psychedelic-rock-soul-country-folk. The album draws on many and various influences that LaMontagne say are ingrained in his subconscious. Everything from Elvis Costello to Nick Lowe, from Genesis to Pink Floyd, to The Kinks and The Zombies.
Supernova is a joyful work which may be considered to be in stark contract to his previous style. It is very playful and filled with references to his love for 1970s Laurel Canyon Rock. The opening track, “Lavender”, is a Beatles-esque track, with luscious backing and an ethereal quality which was quite unexpected. “Airwaves” gives us the unique and gorgeous sound of LaMontagne’s husky and emotive vocals that was disguised on the first track.
You could imagine “She’s The One” being played to a happy, trippy, audience at Woodstock, or maybe now at Glastonbury, while “Pick Up A Gun” opens with a slightly darker tone, using distortion and a perfect combination of acoustic and electric guitar. Once the vocals come in the song transitions into a lighter, psychedelic, lilting journey.
The winning track comes at the end in “Drive-In Movies”. Here is the perfect melding of LaMontagne’s furry folk rock and Auerbach’s retro influences which combine to create a glossy time-warp trip of pop-rock sweetness. With its historic rock references the album is quite nostalgic, having drawn on multiple influences from the past not only in the style of music but in the arrangement of the instrumentation and production. LaMontagne has taken a massive leap away from his previous raw acoustic sound with this album. It’s electrified. It’s rough. It’s ragged. But it’s still beautiful.
Review Score: 7.8 out of 10.
LaMontagne’s fifth studio album, Supernova, was released on May 6th via RCA Records.
