Ray LaMontagne's new album 'Gossip In The Grain'

Sometimes you just need a little soul in your life. Ray LaMontagne's new studio album, "Gossip in the Grain," released Tuesday will give that soul back to you, just in case you lost it.

School stresses me out. Work starts the second I leave class. I need to groove it on down in order to keep my cool.

The album begins with a bang. This is a side of Ray I've never heard before. This is Motown. This is less folk, more funk. And I like it.

Horns dart back and forth in my eardrums and I can't help but make my shoulders sway along with them. And then it happens. The magic comes. LaMontagne's soulful voice serenades me, telling me, "Babayyyyyyyyyyy... it's been a long day, babayyyy.."

Oh, Ray, it has been a long day...

This album, as I move from track to track, feels so different from the two other studio albums that brought me closer to this Maine man.

"Trouble," LaMontagne's 2004 debut album featuring the heartbreaking and unforgettable "All the Wild Horses," the song that brings me to tears even if I'm having a good day, feels so foreign when compared to what I heard at my own personal listening party.

"Let It Be Me" feels like home, and feels familiar - except it's different.

"I Still Care For You" begins with this sliding guitar strings similar to the intro to every Mazzy Star track I fell in love with. He matches her flowing soft lyrics and reverb. If I ever fall in love again, it will be to this song.

"Hey Me, Hey Mama" makes me miss the extended family in Missouri. The Banjo, the group of yokels chanting in the background, the roughness of LaMontagne's drawl, it all makes me feel at home.

LaMontagne wraps up his present with the the fleeting seconds of the title track, "Gossip In The Grain," leaving me wondering when I'll hear more...

And then iTunes took it upon itself to start it all over... and the horns dart back and forth in my eardrums. Continue Reading>>

Throat singers, pop, punk rock and, oh, apparently music sucks

We're nothing here at The State Hornet if not schizophrenic. Depending on our mood, we'll either celebrate music as a life-affirming force or deride it as a barren wasteland of washed-up pop stars. We just like to keep you on your toes.

This week, our ire was fueled by commercial radio and a famous pop star's sibling. Meanwhile, throat singers and punk rockers reminded us why the sounds of the world leave us in constant marvel.

Solange Knowles' latest album "Sol-Angel and the St. Hadley Dreams," though an improvement over her debut, didn't muster enough to win over our reviewer. Beyonce's sister seems doomed to remain known as "Beyonce sister" despite a couple of assists from Pharell and the singing half of Gnarls Barkley, Cee-lo.

In other news, music sucks. Mainstream music, to be exact. Disagree? Get on over to our Opinion section and let 'em know otherwise.

Elsewhere, a couple live music performances knocked our socks off. First, An on-campus performance by Chirgilchin, a world-renowned troupe of Tuvan throat singers, left audience members entranced by their hypnotic sound. And on the same night, Los Angeles punks X stormed through Sacramento and left their gentrifying fanbase in ruins.

Where else are you going to get a review of Solange and a video of Tuvan throat singers in the same place?

Only The State Hornet, friend. Continue Reading>>