Ray LaMontagne’s eighth studio album is a stripped-down, self-produced slice of acoustic rock that could just as easily be a product of the late Sixties or Seventies than of 2020.
There’s a real cinematic feel, and nowhere is this more evident than on Summer Clouds, reminiscent of an out-take from the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack.
Meteorological metaphors abound — from Misty Mountain Rain to Rocky Mountain Healin’ — as the singer-songwriter bares the soul, his tender vocals backed with acoustic guitar and just-there drums.
We’ll Make it Through is a real beauty. A heart-felt love song about relationships, embellished with goose-pimpling harmonica: “Had our share of the pain, of the clouds and the rain. Lean on me and I’ll lean on you and together we’ll get through. We always do.”
At times it can be a tad overbearing. Weeping Willow, with its saccharine-laced self-harmonies, is just a little too schmaltzy for me.
There’s nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary here. But that’s the point. It won’t win over any new fans yet still Monovision is a timeless collection to soothe the soul of those in the know.
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