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Ray LaMontagne: From Left Field to Center Stage

Ray LaMontagne.
Ray LaMontagne.
Ray LaMontagne in Studio on World Cafe - 11/22/2006

For someone who harbored no musical aspirations until his early 20s, Ray LaMontagne is making up for lost creative time in a hurry. His husky yet quietly soothing voice draws frequent comparisons to Van Morrison's, while his emotional delivery and powerful lyrics have won him considerable acclaim. LaMontagne's 2004 debut Trouble was a left-field success, and its sequel, Till The Sun Turns Black, is already helping to solidify his place as a major singer-songwriter.

When Trouble began to pick up momentum, LaMontagne was thrust into a period of intensive touring to build on the word-of-mouth buzz his soulful folk music was generating. For Till The Sun Turns Black, he opted to tread new stylistic ground, unveiling a unique song-cycle loosely based on the importance of self-expression, interpersonal communication and other qualities he finds lacking in modern culture. This segment originally aired on Sept. 22, 2006.

Copyright 2006 XPN

David Dye
David Dye is a longtime Philadelphia radio personality whose music enthusiasm has captivated listeners of World Cafe® since 1991. World Cafe is produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.