Ray Lamontagne | Till The Sun Turns Black
Ray LaMontagne's second album effort is a little less cheery than the first, but the guy can surely sing and is no stranger to heavy emotions. As the title suggests, Till the Sun Turns Black is a quintessential "rainy day" album, as the musically understated, achingly beautiful songs cast a long, grey shadow on even the sunniest dispositions. It kicks off with "Be Here Now" - this haunting number should be studied for the meaning in its title, to remind you to not let your soul get lonely. Three More Days" is augmented by a soulful horn section, more Ray Charles than Ray-an Adams. "Three more days, you know I'll be right there by your side!" makes a man long to bring it on home to their girl. The truest lesson of the album is in the second track, "Empty," Ray sadly admits that he "never learned to count my blessings, choosing instead to dwell in my disasters" and you feel for him, for all of those who find it hard let go of the pain. To my brothers whose hearts hurt, look those demons in their eyes, lay bare your chest and tell them they bore you. Take strength where you can, let it fuel the fire inside you. You don't always have to feel this way, take control of those demons and get to the place you need to be. Lesson learned. "Truly, Madly, Deeply," -TK