Ray Lamontagne at the Strathmore: Pure Joy

Ray Lamontagne at the Strathmore, Bethesda Maryland
October 14

It does not matter what Ray Lamontagne sings. His voice is like a fingertip ever-gently touching the soul. It gives you chills and occasionally makes you cry.

His Strathmore show heavily showcased his latest album, his third, titled Gossip in the Grain, and it wasn't until late in the set, particularly the encore, when he threw in a bunch of songs from his beloved debut album.

The Maine-bred singer-songwriter performed his nearly two-hour set to a very receptive crowd, who cheered equally even when the material was less familiar. The Strathmore's fine acoustics carried his vocals beautifully and he was complemented by an excellent backing band, including a guitarist who did slick slide guitar work.

The soft-spoken Lamontagne spoke quite rarely to the crowd though in one exchange with an audience member who yelled out, "can we stand?" he responded, sweetly, "you can stand if you want, but the next song's a ballad."

The set was mostly quite mellow, showcasing his sweet, smoky vocals, so it was fitting when he ended with the beautiful ballad, "Jolene." Stunning stuff.