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Elly Roberts reviews
14th Floor
- Released: January 2007
- Rating: 10/10+
Out with the old: in with the new.
Thats what traditionally heralds the New Year. So, fans believing thatRaycharles Lamontagne would release Trouble Mark 2 are in for a bigsurprise a pleasant one at that.
Rustic Ray has quickly forgotten his debut album of 2005, which sold half amillion copies principally via word of mouth. Now hes gone for somethingtotally different and its stunning. Whereas Trouble was a relativelystripped sound, gushing guitar and quicksilver lyrics, the grisly one has nowembraced a much fuller musical landscape, with more attention being focusedon expansive music.
At just about every level the music has greater texture and colour. Theresalso more of a band feel about the entire project. Ray says of his album,“I just wanted to have something different than a collection of songs.”He added, “Theres nothing wrong with that, I just didnt want to do itagain.”
Moving on was the natural progression for this remarkable singer-songwriterfrom New Hampshire, a former shoe factory worker.
What remains, is his cavernous vocals, which at almost every emotional pointis more disciplined and rounded, a tad less aching and more hushed.
Nevertheless, hes adapted well to the new style of music. Were now givenmore strings and echoing guitars, with the addition of brass and flutes et al.Out go the regular steady shuffling songs like, Trouble, Shelter, Hold YouMy Arms and Neil Youngesque Narrow Escape, though Empty andBarfly have shades.
Final track on Trouble, All The Wild Horses, seemed to indicate hisfuture direction with its magnificent swaying string interludes.
From the off theres haunting strings supporting his gentle strumming andplodding piano on Be Here Now.
Most noticeably, the transformation begins with Three More Days ashuffle that expands with brass and keys, bursting to life at around the oneminute mark, rising to a steady crescendo with a full brass burst to theclosing. Again, sweeping strings introduce Can I Stay with Rayshusk-bound singing a major emotional highlight a song so delicate it couldsnap at any time.
You Can Bring Me Flowers, is a cool bass-driven jaunt with bonus jazzybrass layers, as Ray glides over the shuffling rhythm section. Mmhhh.Embracing a colliery brass band style, he thrusts Gone Away From Mewith lashings of ukulele, mellophone and euphonium. Playing acoustic andSpanish guitar, he gets all close and intimate on the spell-binding balladLesson Learned the CDs simplest song but equally effective.
For almost two minutes, hes dropped-in a glorious instrumental, showing hisprowess again on Spanish guitar, with enough echo to make you melt away. Thencomes the title track: gushing strings, acoustic strums, husk-ridden singing,with a sort of crescendo just before the 3 minute mark, tailing-off to asteady melodic close gasp!
As if that wasnt enough to impress, he waves goodbye to 2005 (and 2006) instyle plodding Within You brings a full hit of instruments atvarious stage, and, yes, that god given voice, once more.
First masterpiece of 2007.
Weblinks:raylamontagne.com /14thfloorrecords.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Be Here Now
2. Empty
3. Barfly
4. There More Days
5. Can I Stay
6. You Can Bring Me Flowers
7. Gone Way From Me
8. Lesson Learned
9. Truly, Madly, Deeply
10. Till The Sun Turns Black
11. Within You
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.