By: David Schultz

This past summer, the soft-spoken troubadour Ray Lamontagne headlined the side stage at the Dave Matthews Band's Island Getaway on New York's Randall's Island. Although the stage was small, the guitarist's reflective, introspective songs were swallowed by the massive audience filling the expansive stadium-sized setting. This past Monday, Lamontagne returned for a performance at New York's most intimate concert arena, The Town Hall. The cozy, tiny setting provided the perfect venue for Lamontagne and his searing, soulful music.

Since the 2004 release of his debut album Trouble, Lamontagne's burgeoning reputation as one of America's more talented singer-songwriters has been well documented by both the written and on-line musical press. Lamontagne sings with a bold voice, belting out sensitive, reflective lyrics with a brave confidence. On stage, he bares his soul with the same forthright honesty contained on Trouble. Startlingly in contrast to the strength with which he sings, Lamontagne seemed embarrassed to be playing to such a large audience, addressing the crowd numerous times in a quiet soft spoken voice that, at times, approached incomprehensible mumbling. Even with a microphone, the back rows had to strain to discern Lamontagne's wispy, but witty quips. While noting that Town Hall was really a very nice building, the denim-clad Lamontagne chided the audience for not dressing better. The humility exhibited by Lamontagne fits nicely with the persona behind Trouble's open-souled meditations. If Lamontagne's stage demeanor is sincere, it's touching. If it's not, Lamontagne has mastered the greatest strength a performer can have: faking sincerity.

Taking the stage alone, Lamontagne held the audience mesmerized with familiar songs from Trouble as well as newer songs like "She's Your Girl (But I Want Her)" and "Allie (You Should Be Married By Now)." Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica, Lamontagne offered improbably sparer yet equally captivating versions of signature pieces like "Jolene," "Shelter" and "Trouble." Brandi Carlile, who opened the show, joined Lamontagne for "Hannah," adding her Melissa Etheridge-like voice to the tune's pleading chorus.

Given the intimacy of Lamontagne's songs, the audience remained respectfully quiet throughout the evening. The shy singer clearly does not relish being the center of attention and the eerie museum-quality silence, especially between songs, must make Lamontagne feel as if he's playing in a fishbowl. While raucous cheers would definitely be out of place, the reverent silence appears to hinder Lamontagne's ability to establish the connection he should be building with the audience. Over time, Lamontagne and his fans should find a nice common ground that will allow Lamontagne to come down off of the pedestal he's being placed upon so that he can comfortably play for them.

Tremendously engaging, Lamontagne's thoughtful, reflective style and brutally honest, emotional lyrics are unrecognizable to only the most hard-hearted of listeners. The well-traveled singer's unassuming and humble demeanor fuel his ability to create earnest and genuine songs. Given that success has come early for Lamontagne, his growth as an artist will have to come in full view of his fans, while living with the unavoidable comparisons to Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake and Astral Weeks era Van Morrison. Sadly, extreme fragility often accompanies performers who are extraordinarily open with their emotions, frequently overwhelming them and leaving their fans to wonder what could have been. While the future is always uncertain, Lamontagne's ability to transform inner doubt into musical gems will surely carry him though any growing pains he will experience.

Labels: Ray LaMontagne