So very happy so many of you guys are experiencing Ray through this tour.................I think Ray has been recognized for a while now as one of the most soulful singer songwriters out there - he sings from the heart and all of his stuff is so reflective of that.
I would strongly strongly recommend both Trouble and Til the Sun Turns Black as two of the most outstanding albums produced in the past ten years. Not crazy on Gossip (although as in all there are definitely some very good tracks) but love God Willin. If you start digging in further there is a live from bonnaroo CD out there that is great great Ray live from when the career just started to take off......and if you go deeper he has two unofficial releases....acre of land and green demo.....................and then tons of taped gigs waiting to be downloaded!!
His story is equally as great - abandoned by his father his mom raised he and his four sisters on the road from city to city barely making ends meet.............he finally settled in a cabin in maine where he worked night and day manufacturing shoes............he finally took the chance at becoming a musician a little over ten years ago and the rest is history.......just as for David some of his earlier stuff is just great - raw and gritty
Until recently Ray lived in cabin with his wife and two kids with no electricity nor running water which wouldn't work for the D, C or A! He has not owned a TV in forever..................but similar to David he is a family man dedicated to his wife and two sons but I get the feeling his heart searches more than David's.......not sure if Ray would ever find the contentment David most definitely seems to have arrived at.
Anyway for those who still have the pleasure of seeing Ray perform have a great time. As for my dilemma of the same set list every night I am dealing with it.............and seeing all this helped a bit. I think the following summarizes Ray's perspective on the issue quite well........
He wants that same level of artistic attention and intention to come across in live performances as well as on the album.
"I have anxiety sometimes. I just want it to be great," he says. "You've got one shot to deliver it and I just always want to do the best. I want it to sound better than the record. I don't want anyone to go home and be disappointed that they heard the record and came and thought, 'Geez, he's not giving it.'"
Here is a link...........thanks Steve
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/blog/2010/08/ray-lamontagne.html