It’s more than 15 years since Ray LaMontagne was catapulted to international fame with his debut album Trouble, a folk rock smash hit that sold more than half a million copies worldwide and made the Nashua-born singer-songwriter a household name, despite his often publicised desire to stay firmly out of the limelight.

Monovison is LaMontagne’s eighth studio album, and from the outset it is one that is in keeping with his established sound and style. Gone are the psychedelic rock elements that permeated his sixth album, 2016’s Ouroboros. We’re firmly back in stripped down acoustic folk rock territory here, and while LaMontagne’s occasional experimentation has always been well received, it’s nice to hear him back to doing what he does best.

As with 2018’s Part of the Light, this is an entirely self-produced record. Lead single Strong Enough is a merry enough country romp that will induce foot-tapping and knuckle-wrapping aplenty, while I Was Born To Love You is a soulful, sultry, bluesy-drawl that gets better with every listen and Misty Morning Rain is straight up Astral Weeks era Van Morrison, which is no bad thing to be.

LaMontagne adds harmonica to the already maudlin Rocky Mountain Healin’, spaces out briefly with the very dreamy Weeping Willow, but closes out the album in style with the heartfelt Morning Comes Wearing Diamonds and the deliciously lo-fi Highway to the Sun, which evokes those early LaMontagne classics like Trouble and Empty.

As with any LaMontagne offering, his distinctive, guttural, growling vocals take centre stage for much of the record. Monovision sees those vocals ably complemented by some bluesy, 70s-inspired sounds that get the best out of LaMontagne’s voice and lyrics. That combination make this album a worthy addition to the LaMontagne catalogue, and the closest offering to his original records we’ve had for a few years.

Monovision is available to order now through Ray LaMontagne’s official website.

Monovision track listing:

1. Roll Me Mama, Roll Me

2. I Was Born To Love You

3. Strong Enough

4. Summer Clouds

5. We’ll Make It Through

6. Misty Morning Rain

7. Rocky Mountain Healin’

8. Weeping Willow

9. Morning Comes Wearing Diamonds

10. Highway to the Su

Watch the video for Strong Enough below.

 singer-songwriter      folk-rock