good back drop music I was looking for a little more rock
The hit on the cd is assume I was hoping for a little more rock. I have had it on with people over for dinner it is perfect for that. He reminds me of Ben Harper the same sort of somberness but not as much rock.

Takes my breath away
Whenever I listen to Ray LaMontagne I am taken away to a different place- a different planet. There are few artists that have the ability to do that for me. His voice, his lyrics, the way the music wraps around everything is simply stunning. There are no other words to truly explain it.

My favorite song on the album is "Empty." I remember the first time I played that song for a friend of mine- he had tears in his eyes after it was over telling me that he could "feel the pain in the song, and that it was beautiful."

"lay your blouse across the chair,
let fall the flowers from from your hair
and kiss me with that country mouth, so plain.
outside, the rain is tapping on the leaves,
to me it sounds like they're applauding us the the quiet love we made.
will i always feel this way?
so empty, so estranged."

Till The Sun Turns Black
Once you start listening to the first track "Be Here Now," you will not want to turn this album off. I was captivated. Every track on this album in brilliant.

Scrumpcious soul
I love this album! It has a softer, mellower touch than the first, but no less soulful. Of course, Ray Lamontagne's voice is no less stunning. If you want reflective, moody and sometimes dreamy, this will work for you.

Blues Prophet
I had heard "You Can Send Me Flowers" on Satellite Radio several times and knew I had to find this Blues Prophet Ray. His lyrics are so gut-wrenching and cathartic that after hearing the entire CD I felt it had saved me thousands in psychotherapy. Quite a religious experience. Collaborating with people like Michael McDonald didn't hurt his arrangements, either. Ray sounds like Joe Cocker in "Three More Days," and like George Harrison in "Within You." But he lays out his bare soul in all lyrics with the most passion I have heard in a long time, along with great guitar licks, his own unique style, and THE MOST HAUNTING VOICE. A true blues prophet Ray is. I'm so glad he finally convinced himself to find his way out of his manufacturing plant job and into songwriting and performing where he truly belongs. I look forward to his other CDs. Don't miss this one!