Review:
Ray LaMontagne - Ouroboros (2016)


Have you ever heard the song "Forever My Friend" by this man, Ray LaMontagne?

A live performance of the song on Letterman

I for one, think it's really good. I like the voice, the style, the guitar.... I've listened to this song many times, as I have to the entire album it stems from - Trouble.
Trouble is a great cd that is very consistent in its quality and flow. Almost all songs on it are really good.


Even the cover looked great when I bought this at an Urban Outfitters many years ago. Wonderful purchase.

Such is NOT the case with the new cd "Ouroboros", in which the acoustic guitar does not feature, only to be replaced by a repetitive style of dreamy-drone stuff that I couldn't quite grasp. Why would he go in this direction? His voice is naturally gruff and strong, and it just kind of gets lost on this cd, in which there is nothing special that will stay in your head after you finish listening to it for the third time.
Here's a link to show you how his style has changed:

New song - "Hey, No Pressure"

It's not that bad, but I just don't know why artists feel they have to stray so far from what their original talent brought them to create. There are so many examples of this. The most vile example being Radiohead of course, but not only them.
When you're good at something why change? The type of music on Trouble is special, it suits that voice, it carries that strength. What is this LaMontagne attempt at giving us a cd by Pink Floyd? The first few songs dissapointed me and were very samey. The rest were pretty good and original yes, but nothing that will stand the test of time, I'm afraid.
Hopefully Ray will get back on track for his next outing.