Despite that I adore LaMontagne's voice, his vibe, and his writing (as old-school folk as his lyrics may be, with words like 'woman' and phrases like 'oh lord'), I have found in the past, many of his songs to be lacking a certain kind of spark; sure, LaMontagne has passion, yards and yards of it in fact, and he's certainly extraordinarily skillful, but many of his songs have never quite hit the right note for me. They are frustratingly throwaway soul throwbacks that combine retro arrangements with bland pop delivery. A voice like his, one of the best in music today, could definitely be put to better use.
'Gossip in the Grain' is at first, the same old, same old. There are lovely moments in the yearning 'Let it Be Me', and the sawdust floor, beer-drinking mid-west wedding song, 'You Are the Best Thing' (a sure-fire ubiquitous soundtrack song for every upcoming romantic comedy this year)is sweet as honey and VERY retro, complete with a call-and-response chorus and a horn section. But neither song is extraordinary, and in fact, a little bit too innocent and flat to carry any interest (which is surprising, as Ethan Johns' production usually brings forth all the raw emotion of a live acoustic performance). 'Sarah' is a little more contemporary and a little more folksy, but also quite reminiscent of songs from 'Til the Sun Turns Black', LaMontagne's largely new-age-y, slightly bland sophomore release. It's a solid story song but bland, its melody a little too embellished.
It is halfway through the album that I began to take a REAL interest. 'Winter Birds' is the star track of 'Gossip'; clocking at 6 minutes, it's a sweeping poem, an ode to changing of seasons, age and romance, and has amazing lines like "the kettle sings its tortured song" and "we're off to the county fair/I'll find a yellow flower/and I will lace it in her hair". The lyrics seem ridiculously outdated and old-fashioned, but in this case, that only adds to their un-tainted charm. Track 6 is the hilarious, wacky 'Meg White', an ode to the White Stripes drummer that is innocent and obsessive at the same time. Although I personally don't enjoy the song, its novelty and outlandishness surpassing its musicality and melody, it is LaMontagne trying something completely left-field. Third albums are a good time to take fantastic risks like this. 'Hey Me, Hey Mama' sounds like nothing LaMontagne has ever done before; its simplistic, odd, lyrics and LaMontagne's endearing laugh heard on the track just before the song starts (a typically Ethan Johns touch) make the song seem like a bit of a joke as well, but it's a risky track that certainly pays off; it might be one of my favourites on this strangely left-field album. Another track that stands out as completely different is the rambling rocker, 'Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)'. Another throwback, this time to a kind of virtual boxcar hobo folk nostalgia, the song is gutsy, gritty, driving and purely enjoyable to listen to.
After all of these "experimental" tracks, the album's closer is appropriately MORE conventionally Ray LaMontagne, despite the woodwind introduction. The arrangement is isolated, simply acoustic. "Truth Be:/The Beggar that holds his tongue,/Dines on none but air alone", he sings, in the album's final stanza, followed by mystical chimes, before the album comes to its perfect ending. The words seem like LaMontagne's own proverb, an attempt to carve out his own Dylan-esque mythology. He might not be as far from Dylan as he was as little as two years ago.
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