Sunday night, we saw Ray LaMontagne at The Ryman. Wow. First, let's talk acoustics. Amazing. Every "s" was like a whisper directly into my ear from an inch away. And we had cheap seats -- Row X to be exact. The theater really is amazing and lives up to the hype.
So, what about this guy? For us, he's typically dinner music -- in the background, kind of low. I mean, to describe his style as "gentle" is an understatement, right?
In concert, that was still the case -- to a point. The only times he talked, he was soft-spoken, polite, brief, hard-to-hear. Of course, it would have helped if certain members of the audience didn't start screaming every time he DID actually talk. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who gives a shit about some girl screaming from the back: "I love you, Ray!" In fact, I think it probably frightens him. It's always frustrating when an audience doesn't understand the performer. ... But back to the original point.
While quiet and gentle, on certain songs his raspy voice just became beyond enormous. My better half described it as a bear rearing up on his hind legs, throwing his head back farther and farther and opening his mouth wider and wider as this ever-increasing roar lets loose. ... I think she's 100 percent right on in this evaluation. Even if she does admit his huge, bushy, brown beard probably contributed highly to her bear analogy.
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