Ray LaMontagne - Gossip In The Grain

Ray LaMontagne's first two albums made him the voice of hushed, late-night folk. On his third, he let the sun in. Released in October 2008, Gossip in the Grain reached number three on the Billboard 200, went gold in the United States, and gave him the biggest song of his career.

That song is the opener, "You Are the Best Thing," a horn-driven burst of old-school soul that has since soundtracked countless first dances. It sets the tone for a record far more varied than what came before. Working again with producer Ethan Johns, and recording in the English village of Box, LaMontagne moves from the tender "Let It Be Me" and "Sarah" to the playful tribute "Meg White" and the rowdy blues stomp of "Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)." Leona Naess adds harmonies on "I Still Care for You" and "A Falling Through," and the title track closes the album on a quiet, pastoral note.

Every song was written by LaMontagne, and his rasp has never sounded warmer. It remains the record most often recommended as the place to start with him.

This pressing spreads the album's ten songs across two 180-gram LPs in a gatefold jacket.