Show Preview: Ray LaMontagne at The Paramount Theatre

For those of you lucky enough to catch The Magnetic Fields at the Paramount last week, you know there's no doubt the old theatre can hold its own with any of Austin's excellent concert venues. And while it lends itself to a ritzier crowd, to be sure, there's a reason why our fair town has such venues: because without them we may not be able to get acts such as Ray LaMontagne to drop by for a set. The twenty-first century folk icon, known for his raspy and considered vocals and the vigor of his beard, will be the beginning, middle, and end of a show this Saturday night, and chances are it'll be a pretty solid bunch of mid-tempo precision.

A self-proclaimed "private person," LaMontagne has a diverse pallet of experiences, ranging from a star turn on the Austin City Limits television show to having his breakthrough hit, "Trouble," covered on American Idol, and by the winner no less. His highly anticipated (and just-released) third album, Gossip in the Grain, has been met with excellent reviews, and continues to solidify his status as one of music's most admired cross-over stars, as he is welcome both in college dormitories and in the minivans of soccer moms. The new album maintains the richness of instrumentation which populated his sophomore release, Till the Sun Turns Black, and he's been utilizing the strengths of a more-than-capable backing band to liven up his oft-restrained approach, and to very nice effect. When it's all accounted for, it's easy to get the feeling that LaMontagne is going to be one of those artists that sticks around for a long time, and this Saturday at the Paramount gives us one fine chance to catch him in action.

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Ray LaMontagne [MySpace] [Official]