MONOVISION - Ray LaMontagne: Review
is a New Hampshire based singer-songwriter who has pulled from the worlds of folk, country and Americana over his 15 year career. After an experiment in psychedelia on 2016's Ouroboros he has returned to his folk roots on his last two records.
Review By Lavender:
While Ray LaMontagne has never been one of my favorite songwriters in the world his appreciation for the classics is clear and he is almost always good for a handful of great tracks. Monovision is no different and after his stripped back Part Of The Light record two years ago he decided to self-produce a record with more sonic variety throughout.
Ray dropped three singles in the lead up to the albums release and they are three of the best tracks here. The opener Roll Me Mama, Roll me is a track that channels classic blues with the vocal prowess of Dan Auerbach. The multi-tracked vocals gives the track a bit more of a slick sound than the era he is worshiping but the authenticity of his admiration ultimately shines throughout. Strong Enough was the big single and it's a jammy blend of southern rock and Americana folk that comes right out of the 1970's. The track is a rousing anthem and I admire Ray's desire to get out of South Carolina, good tune. We'll Make It Through is the records longest track and it's a travelling piece of Dylan inspired folk that comes paired with the same separate hook structure and harmonica to match. I think the song is decent even though it revels in its slow pacing, some of the blissful instrumental passages feel like more Neil Young tribute than Dylan and I think the song is effective despite its runtime.
Misty Morning Rain was a surprise highlight that's a pretty manic track featuring unsettling vocals and rapid emotional shifts that are uncharacteristic for Ray. Even though the track doesn't keep all the momentum up for the entire track I do think it's a pretty enjoyable piece on the record. Morning Comes Wearing Diamonds is a track I don't totally love in the first half but around the midpoint it gains instrumental complexity and never looks back. The instrumental palette starts working towards the next swell in the second verse and leads well out of the track and into the closer. Speaking of the closer Highway To The Sun is a solid introspective ballad that ends the album off. I don't think it's the best song here or anything but the sweet instrumental is a nice finale to the record.
I Was Born To Love You is a song that could have come right off of Ray's last record with its sweet vocal melodies and simple folk guitar work. I don't think it would have been one of my favorites though as the subtle electric guitar manipulation does more to make the track sleepy than it does interesting. Summer Clouds is one of the most stripped back songs here but the result doesn't do much for me. The nature metaphors don't amount to anything that interesting and I think the songwriting just needs to be stronger for a track like this to work. Rocky Mountain Healin is the most Neil Young inspired track here but as a result it kind of drowns in lyrical and folk cliches and doesn't have that much going on that makes it worth sticking around. Weeping Willow is another song with multi-tracked vocals that sounds straight out of the 60's but there is no edge to it whatsoever. The songs attempts to sound blissful just don't resonate with me as much as it should.
Monovision is yet another solid piece of an always solid discography. While it does a lot more cherishing the past than looking towards the future the sounds on the record are welcoming. With Ray handling production duty the record also presents a very singular vision that may not knock you out of your seat but certainly works to add cohesion to these tracks. 6/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
Not A bad cover. This is simple and the use of color blocking is successful the graphic cut out style of the subject makes it contrast from the other elements. I'm not a huge fan of the text font but the placement is strong, A good example of how simplicity can be impactful. 6/10
For some of what clearly inspired Ray check out my review of Bob Dylan's Rough And Rowdy Ways here
