Ray LaMontagne: Gossip in the Grain (2LP) [RCA]

Why you'll love it

This RCA pressing spreads the album over a 180g 2LP set in a gatefold jacket. Gossip in the Grain debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200,, selling 60,000 copies in its first week.

This edition

• 2LP set
• 180g vinyl
• Gatefold jacket

About the album

Ray LaMontagne quit a shoe factory job after hearing a Stephen Stills song on his clock radio one morning. By his third album he had a devoted following and a working method he trusted: back in the room with producer Ethan Johns, this time with his touring band of Jennifer Condos on bass and Eric Heywood on guitar, plus Johns himself on drums.

"You Are The Best Thing" kicks things off with horns and a full-blooded soul strut, and it found its way into I Love You, Man and One Tree Hill. "Let It Be Me" is a tender, slow-burning ballad that later turned up on Parenthood, while "Sarah" and "I Still Care For You" went to House. "Meg White" is a sweet, playful tribute to The White Stripes' drummer, and Leona Naess adds her voice to the mix. The hushed title track closes the set in a whisper.

Critics have compared LaMontagne to Otis Redding, Van Morrison and Nick Drake, and the range here explains why. It's the kind of record people put on when friends come over and then quietly buy a copy of the next morning; we see them at the counter.

Also at Kops: more Ray LaMontagne on vinyl · browse Singer-Songwriter

Tracklist

Listen

On RCA (cat# 88697-32670-1), the 2008 album.