New Ray LaMontagne! “Let It Be Me” (studio)
I’m a big sucker for the heavy exhalation.
When I first heard that weighty sigh of breath that hangs in the room to start this first new Ray LaMontagne song (from his upcoming Gossip In The Grain), I smiled wide to myself.
Once it cues up and that voice starts singing, I was texting gushing and effusive words to my friend Bodie who found it for the listenin’– something to the effect of “!!!! o dear heavens how i love ray!” That evocative voice is enough to make grown men weep — and for my money, no one nails that husky, gorgeous, smoky, bluesy sound exactly like Ray.
Let It Be Me – Ray LaMontagne
(alternate SaveFile link)
Gossip In The Grain is out September 30th, and Ray just announced tour dates yesterday with the lovely Leona Naess, including a stop at Boulder’s Macky Auditorium on October 27th and the gorgeous art-deco Paramount Theater in Oakland, CA a few days later. Seeing Ray live in San Francisco in 2005 still ranks as one of my top spellbinding concerts ever.
RAY LAMONTAGNE & LEONA NAESS TOUR DATES
Sept 30 – Murat Theatre, Indianapolis, IN
Oct 1 – Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL
Oct 3 – Union Theatre, Madison, WI
Oct 4 – State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
Oct 6 – Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
Oct 7 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto, ON
Oct 9 – Opera House, Boston, MA
Oct 10 – Opera House, Boston, MA
Oct 11 – Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
Oct 13 – Keswick Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
Oct 14 – The Strathmore Music Center, Washington, DC
Oct 16 – Meymandi Concert Hall, Raleigh, NC
Oct 17 – Bijou Theatre, Knoxville, TN
Oct 18 – The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
Oct 19 – Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Oct 21 – Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, MO
Oct 23 – Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX
Oct 24 – Majestic Theatre, Dallas, TX
Oct 25 – Paramount Theatre, Austin, TX
Oct 27 – Macky Auditorium, Boulder, CO
Oct 28 – Murray Theatre, Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 30 – Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Nov 1 – Spreckels Theatre, San Diego, CA
Nov 3 – Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
Nov 5 – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR
Nov 6 – McDonald Theatre, Eugene, OR
Nov 8 – Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC
Nov 9 – Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle, WA
Name: Heather Browne
Nice! I can’t wait for this album!
Andrew — August 1, 2008 @ 9:50 am
I seen Ray in Oct 06 and it was a magical performance in terms of the transformation from shy Ray into an assertive joke telling entertainer during the encore! Loving the new tune….great post as ever!
Peter N — August 1, 2008 @ 9:59 am
Just got my tickets for Seattle. So excited.
WS Townhouse — August 1, 2008 @ 11:21 am
OMG!!! i’ve discovered your blog just today, and i’ve been watching all the stuffs with ed vedder labels then i tried to download the into the wild’s demos! but i couldn’t!!!! and i feel so upset about it!!! :’(
please!!! do you have another link to download that songs??? i feel desperate haha
I’ve really enjoyed your blog!!!
regards.
Ale.-
La Ale.- — August 1, 2008 @ 11:28 am
I’m securing tix to the SLC date today, but I’m thinking a trip to Boulder the day before might be in order. Two Ray dates in two days sounds just about right to me.
Dainon. — August 1, 2008 @ 11:59 am
Gah! Again with only one western Canadian date! Alright. I may have to head out to Vancouver this time.
andy grabia — August 1, 2008 @ 1:02 pm
Thank you for this. I first discovered Ray LaMontagne through this blog. You rock!
p.s. I can’t wait for the new album and I’m going to try and catch him on tour.
Selena — August 1, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
Thank you so much I’ve been checking your site everyday for a studio recording of this song since I heard “Gossip” was getting released. I’m so excited for the new cd and can’t wait to see him in Atl this october.
Demarcus — August 1, 2008 @ 5:25 pm
Don’t feel all alone, Andy. St. Louis is conspicuously missing as well. KC is easier to park and cheaper to sleep than Chi, looks like it might be road trip time for me, too.
Ruralgurl — August 1, 2008 @ 6:49 pm
one of my best friends LOVES this guy. I like him a lot too. she’ll be thrilled. thanks for the post.
Hanan — August 1, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
You need to come with the rest of the gang to the Ray LaMontagne headquarters in NYC! We’ll all be there. Thanks for this post, we’ve only had the live version of the song. I love him!
Trini — August 1, 2008 @ 8:25 pm
Here’s a copy of Winter Birds, recorded at the Northampton, MA show in May…
10+ years — August 2, 2008 @ 6:13 pm
He’s going to be at Boulder Theatre
this Friday (aug 8)
Anonymous — August 2, 2008 @ 9:40 pm
Ray is amazing! Thanks for the song post. Already bought tickets to see him in Portland, OR. Ray is the best.
Gabe — August 3, 2008 @ 9:03 am
Exceeded Bandwidth? That makes me sad…
Chad Aaron — August 3, 2008 @ 1:47 pm
Trini’s right, you should join the “Till The Sun’s Black” crew in NYC. We have hotel rooms blocked and fans from LA, Phoenix, Chicago, Maryland, NYC and London. I have an extra ticket. As well I’ll be in Boston the night before catching his date at the Opera House.
Kevin — August 3, 2008 @ 4:57 pm
Hey Heather,
Just letting you know it looks like you’ve exceeded your bandwidth on that fileden account (just in case you weren’t aware!)
Burgo — August 3, 2008 @ 6:01 pm
I’ve never seen Ray, but would love to. Caught a “Live in Studio” type of performance on TV a year or so ago and was blown away. Perhaps I’ll buy tickets to the Radio City show.
Dylan Blaine — August 4, 2008 @ 10:00 am
i enjoy ray soo much! he is amazing.
The Blogoteque — August 6, 2008 @ 10:22 pm
ray makes my heart skip a beat and the hair on my arms stand on end. such passion…
Anonymous — August 24, 2008 @ 8:44 pm
Just saw him in Madison, WI last night (10-3-08). First time seeing him live and it goes down as THE best concert I’ve been to. Magical. Had goosebumps several times during the night. Unbelievable sound. You are in for a treat if you have tickets to one of the shows!!
GTR — October 4, 2008 @ 12:46 pm
I saw Ray last night in Minneapolis, MN at the State Theater. I had “a**hole” seats (so ridiculously close and seemingly VIP) so I got a lot of dirty looks. But, once the lights went down, it was magic. This was my 3rd time seeing Ray in concert and I think he just gets better. The material from his new album is PHENOMENAL! He is just a gift.
Abby — October 5, 2008 @ 10:20 pm
Yes, Ray is a gift. Artist like this only come around a few times in one’s lifetime.
GTR — October 6, 2008 @ 5:16 am
Hi
Great songs u have here.
I see u had all the Lonesome Saddle songs at one point but when I click on the link they don’t come up.
Please upload Carry Me and Nothing Like you Used To Be again!
Anonymous — December 16, 2008 @ 4:54 am