Articles about the World & Folk

Different from a lot of Enya's other recordings but lovely as usual as she is.My favourite artiste.

went to see my first Boyzone concert this year - this is a great way to remember it

Ray Lamontagne, is an enigma. His voice is breathy and rich and his trademark. His songwriting is brilliant at times. He is a genius at his craft. But, he is not reaching the masses. I found him, oh, several years ago with his first CD, 'Trouble' and his voice and lyrics stirred my soul.

"The Jesus-bearded troubadour is sort of a recluse. He doesn't enjoy doing interviews, refuses to make music videos, and hates reviews of his work--be they positive or negative. But for all the coffeehouse hacks trying to emulate Bob Dylan's verbosity and Van Morrison's impassioned croon, there's the soft-spoken Ray LaMontagne, singing his own wistful tunes without the weight of pretension and the hype of MTV." Joe Tacopina

This CD brings Ray Lamontagne to the fore. He is including a full orchestra. As he said in an interview, "It was time to open up a little bit more, not be quite so reserved in my choice of songs that I wanted to record." His choices in these ten songs are somewhat similar to his first two CD's but tell a story of their own. These songs are richer and more complete.

'You Are The Best Thing'-Best song of the ten and my favorite- backed-up by vocals and this is Ray at his best.

'Let It Be Me'- A traditional Ray song-showcasing his beautiful voice.

'Sarah'- One of the most beautifully written songs- many say he sounds like Nick Drake in this saga.

'I Still Care For You'-The big band background with Ray barely speaking.

'Winter Birds'- The poem like wording is exquisite. The best writing of his career.

'Meg White'- Such a complete sidestepping of his usual fare. Feet stomping good- a tribute to Meg White of the 'Stripes'- you either love it or hate it.

'Hey Me, Hey Mama'- Folksy singing- absolutely love this new Ray- 'Where ya been so long?'

'Henry Nearly Killed Me'-Fast paced song with a story line to be followed.

'A Falling Through'- A quiet, thoughtful song.

'Gossip In The Grain'- Soft, listen carefully to the lyrics- beautiful musical background.

Ray Lamontagne is a musician who has not reached his prime. He has stepped out of his footprint with this CD. Gaining new ground and new fans. He is quietly taking his place along side the greats of his genre.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 11-02-08

Trouble

[[ASIN:B000GPIPVU Till the Sun Turns Black

In an entertainment business full of faked stance and faux emotion, all of a sudden something REAL has come along. Glasvegas are tough, rough around the edges but ultimately this is the genuinely most affecting releases not just in 2008 but for many years.

Let's be clear about this, 'Glasvegas' aren't romanticised 'loser' jangle from the bedroom of a semi-detached, this is raw anguish, the sound of souls being shreaded by the dismal reality of life on the streets of the East End of Glasgow. The album covers such topics as gang violence, disfunctional families and perhaps most of all the utter desperation of the poverty trap and the yearning for a better life.

If all this sounds a little dreary, like a Ken Loach film set to music, then it is most definitely not. Glasvegas takes you through the spectrum of human emotions and back again.

Heart breaking music if ever there was.

Who cares whether it's proper folk; it's proper good and at an indecently low price

How this is averaging so low is beyond me - it's the best album I've heard all year by a country mile. The alternative take of Can't Wait - magestic, unsettling, and superior to the original release in every way - would alone make this unmissable. Add to that the alternative takes of Mississippi - his greatest song of the last decade - and the wonderful unheard track, Girl from the Red River Shore, and this is absolutely essantial. Don't listen to the naysayers - this is a great record.

This is as fine an introduction to the works of Leonard Cohen as could be imagined. The track list, selected by the man himself, covers almost every period of his recorded output (Cohen is not prolific in the way, say, Bob Dylan is, or Neil Young), but I do feel some truly great stuff has been overlooked, i.e. the hushed, but haunting version of 'Story Of Isaac' from 1973's LIVE SONGS, which is one of the most profound things that anyone has ever written, the great live recordings from FIELD COMMANDER COHEN: Tour Of 1979, which admittedly was not released until after THE ESSENTIAL LEONARD COHEN appeared. Of those songs, I feel the title track is as good and epic a song as any he's recorded, and the version from NEW SKIN FOR THE OLD CEREMONY would have sufficed over e.g 'Take This Longing' which already appears on his GREATEST HITS. As for the Passenger version of 'Lover Lover Lover', what can I say? It is blistering! Likewise (from that same album) versions of 'The Window', 'The Smokey Life', 'The Stranger Song', 'The Gypsy's Wife' (long since a staple of the live act) and an unforgettable reading of 'Memories' from the unfairly-maligned DEATH OF A LADIES' MAN, are all worthy of inclusion. In fact, it's true to say that all Cohen's output is essential, but I would also have included 'Ballad Of The Absent Mare' and 'Came So Far For Beauty' from RECENT SONGS, 'The Old Revolution' from SONGS FROM A ROOM (if only for discovering it had been a minor hit in the UK: hats off to Dale Winton for pointing that out to me!), the live 'Joan Of Arc', 'One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong' and 'Hallelujah' from 1993's COHEN LIVE, 'Coming Back To You' and 'The Captain' from 1984's VARIOUS POSITIONS, but the greatest omission surely has to be the Lorca-inspired 'Take This Waltz' from the brilliant I'M YOUR MAN. I could eulogise forever. Suffice to say, if your not familiar with the man's work, this is the perfect place to start. After that, buy THE SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN, his debut (perhaps, alongside Jeff Buckley's GRACE and THE VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO, the greatest debut of all time, for my money).