Song of the Day

Much respect for Ray LaMontagne. His acoustic folk songs are already very famous in the US. Although, I think still most people have never heard of him. And that’s why I’m posting him on my Song of the Day blog. I first fell in love with his music after hearing his song Hannah, which struck me with its humble, honest, and simple appeal to basic human wants desires and struggles; including, among other things, love and compassion.

Amongs Ray’s songs, I find myself less attracted to his more popular and louder songs such as Trouble and You Are The Best Thing, which to me lose the gentle thoughtfulness that I’m so attracted to in his songs. Another song of his that I love is I Still Care For You.

When I first saw him in a music video I thought he looked like a homeless guy, and indeed, a lot of homeless guys also have disheveled hair and facial hair that looks like it’s never been cut. He also has the gaunt face, worn flannel plaid shirts, and raspy voice to match. But, his music is superb and speaks for itself. So I won’t give him a hard time. It just makes you wonder if he’d look like a totally different person if he shaved. And maybe he can’t shave now because it’s part of his branding, his folk singer-songwriter appeal, and if some of his biggest fans saw him with a baby face they’d suddenly think that he sold out to some major record label and is letting other people control his artistic license. So maybe now he’ll never shave, but that assumes that he cares what other people think. “But a contract’s a contract Mr. LaMontagne.”

Something about him also reminds me of Nick Drake for some reason. Maybe it’s seeing someone singing great music that comes from a well-spring of something so non-corporate but that becomes extremely popular and mainstream in its prime. Or maybe it’s the combination of acoustic guitar with raspy lead male vocals singing about loving women with classical instrumental backups. Or maybe it’s because I can imagine that both guys could be found in the same type of homey Portland Oregon coffee shop on a rainy evening waiting for their turn at the open mic.

Anyway, enjoy, and please share the Song of the Day love, because if you know this music is good, don’t you think other people would too? [that's it! that's the perfect thing to say to make people feel guilty for not sharing this blog with their friends! Yeah, like a chain letter, except I'm not forcing anyone to make a compromise between their faith and their reputation for sending useless emails. HAHAHAHA!!!! (insert finger tapping of Mr. Smithers)]

 
The folk song singer artist songwriter Ray LaMontagne song and band information resources…
His official site, on Twitter, on Facebook, on MySpace, Last.fm, and Wikipedia.

Buy this song: Sarah on iTunes