I’m sure you guys are all aware of the cliché saying “I’d sit and listen to him sing the phone book”. There are very few people I can say that about…Al Green, Michael Jackson, Jeff Buckley…another artist on that list is our own Ray LaMontagne. I’d wanted to see Ray for ages, and I finally got the chance last night at the Wang Theatre in Boston.
The man definitely delivered. Armed with just an acoustic guitar and a harmonica (and that soulful voice of his), he had the capacity audience in the palm of his hand for the entire night. He performed selections from all three of his albums (including hits like “Trouble”, “Shelter”, “Let it Be Me” and a reworked version of “You Are the Best Thing”, and covered songs by everyone from Townes Van Zandt to The Bee Gees (by way of Nina Simone). Although Ray has a reputation for being quite shy and withdrawn, he turned out to be surprisingly funny, cracking jokes with the audience about everything from the huge cowboy hat he was wearing to the quite vocal adulation of some of the male members of the audience.
This guy is a fantastic talent and an absolute must-see. If you ever have the opportunity to check him out, do not hesitate!!
