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Tune in to the XPN Morning Show each Monday to hear, Host, Mike Vasilikos, review XPN's Featured Album of the Week. This week's album is....

Ray LaMontagne - Till The Sun Turns Black (RCA)

BUY THIS CD: Till the Sun Turns Black

Whether or not Ray LaMontagne will become this generation's Van Morrison is something that's yet to be determined, but you'll be hard-pressed to find another singer who combines light and dark, power and subtlety as well as this New Hampshire native. His second album - Till The Sun Turns Black - is another well thought-out, well delivered set of music.

It's "that voice" that got Ray the considerable attention he recieved for his debut album, and the talent is once again on fine display here. Starting with the somber, dirge-y opening track "Be Here Now" (only an artist with a fair amount of moxie would open his sophomore album with a song like this, by the way), through the downright soulful "Three More Days" and bluesy "You Can Bring Me Flowers", Lamontagne has proven that he's not exactly a one trick pony. That being said, fans of the crooner Ray will find plenty to enjoy here on songs like like "Lesson Learned" and "Empty".

The songwriting is once again top notch, and "that voice" is still very much intact. Till The Sun Turns Black will most certainly satisfy existing Lamontagne fans and should attract some new ones. It's going to be interesting to watch this talented performer's trajectory in the future.

Written by Dan Reed

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