Ray LaMontagne: Gossip in the Grain (2008)
By the time I went to work at RCA Records, in the fall of 2007, Ray LaMontagne was already beating the odds, in an era ruled by Nickelback’s corporate rock, Avril Lavigne’s jailbait pop, and whatever the fuck Beyoncé and Kanye do. (*)
Like a beetle (the insect, not the musicians) that shouldn’t be able to fly based on the fundamental laws of physics, but somehow does, Ray leveraged word-of-mouth, critical acclaim and impactful TV sync opportunities to sell just enough records to satisfy high major label thresholds.
But that didn’t stop RCA from trying to market their reluctant star by tried-and-true means such as music videos (Ray flatly refused to do them), AOL Sessions (one was shelved after Ray balked at snapping a single photo **), and songs with “more tempo” for radio airplay.
To that end, “You Are the Best Thing,” which saw Ray channeling Joe Cocker and got tacked onto Gossip in the Grain at the very last minute, was a godsend -- though he still refused to appear in a low-budget music clip that one fan aptly said “looked like a Zoloft commercial.”
But enough with the business details; let’s get to the music.
And Gossip in the Grain contained some of Ray’s best efforts, if you ask me, including the absolutely gut-wrenching “Let it Be Me,” frosty “Winter Birds,” woebegone “Achin’ All the Time,” and even a playfully psychedelic tribute to White Stripe drummer “Meg White,” wherein here sings:
“Meg White ... I saw you on the big screen;
Oh, Jack was king, but you stole the scene.
Meg White ... Baby, you're the bomb.
Oh, Jack is great don’t get me wrong ... But this is your song.”
Oh, and I should also tell you that the finicky Ray actually approved, then rejected this vinyl pressing, for some reason; so, to my knowledge, only a few thousand copies slipped out into the marketplace, while stacks were piling up in my old office cabinet.
* To be fair, indie darling Amy Winehouse also broke through that year with her authentic soul revival.
** Indeed, this album’s cover image dated from his FIRST album photo session.
More Ray LaMontagne: God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise, Live Fall 2010, Supernova.
