Trouble

1	Trouble 4:01
2	Shelter 4:36
3	Hold You In My Arms 5:06
4	Narrow Escape 4:39
5	Burn 2:54
6	Forever My Friend 5:44
7	Hannah 5:42
8	How Come 4:32
9	Jolene 4:10
10	All The Wild Horses 3:16

Barnes & Noble

The first thing that grabs you is the voice. Rough yet instantly gripping, soaring in its passion, immediate in its authenticity; a lived-in vocal tone that speaks of hard times and hope. Then the quality of the writing hits you and you realize you're in the presence of a shining new talent. Ray LaMontagne is a singer-songwriter whose music can call to mind other memorable troubadours including Van Morrison, Ted Hawkins, David Gray, and even Tracy Chapman, yet LaMontagne always remains his own man. Working hand-in-hand with producer Ethan Johns -- famed for his work with Ryan Adams and Counting Crows, Johns provided the majority of the instrumental textures supporting LaMontagne's guiding acoustic guitar -- LaMontagne burrows deep into his songs, turning each performance into a compelling narrative replete with drama and emotional release. Accessible and distinct melodies harnessed by well-constructed hooks keep each song from descending into hermetic personal reverie. The sincerity of LaMontagne's emotive delivery and his unflinching honesty as a songwriter stand in recognizable contrast to the bathetic navel-gazing of his peers. As one listen to this impressive debut will announce, Ray LaMontagne is the real deal. William Pearl

All Music Guide

The best songs on Trouble, the debut release from songwriter Ray LaMontagne, draw on deep wells of emotion, and with LaMontagne's sandpapery voice, which recalls a gruffer, more sedate version of Tim Buckley or an American version of Van Morrison, they seem to belie his years. The title tune, "Trouble," is an instant classic, sparse and maudlin (in the best sense), and songs like "Narrow Escape," a ragged, episodic waltz, are equally impressive, with careful, cinematic lyrics that tell believable stories of wounded-hearted refugees on the hard road of life and love. Most of the tracks fall into a midtempo shuffle rhythm, so the words have to carry a lot in order to avert a sort of dull sameness, and when it works, it works big, and when it doesn't, well, LaMontagne is so serious and sincere about his craft that you tend to forgive him instantly. Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek guests on "Hannah" and the sad, somber lullaby "All the Wild Horses," playing fiddle and adding vocals, and producer Ethan Johns adds drums and other touches on most tracks. The sound is measured and sparse, with few frills (a five-piece string section is used on a few tracks, but is never intrusive), all of which supports the emotional urgency of LaMontagne's writing. "How Come" sounds a bit like a rewrite of Dave Mason's "Feelin' Alright," and a couple of other cuts seem a bit labored, but overall this is an impressive debut by an extremely special songwriter. Steve Leggett