(A) I Love My Jean. (2005, Camera Obscura) Grade: A-
Oh who could dislike Tracyanne's sweet voice? Although she is now sole lead vocalist since John's departure, I suspect it will sort itself out in the end. This EP features two of Robert Burns' poems set to music and a third Camera Obscura original. A bit twangy, country but it still follows the path expected of these Scots.

(G) Ray LaMontagne. (April 7, Avalon) Grade: A
Thirty-one-year-old musician Ray LaMontagne's appearance belies his true age. In dress, he resembles a wizened traveling troubadour, sporting a bushy beard and bowler's hat, complete with red feather. He shuffles on stage, quietly asking how the audience is doing. The audience responds with more excitement than Ray seems capable of returning. But then he begins to sing with such stunning sincerity, emotion and heart that you might turn away and blush.

Trouble is an amazing debut for a musician who was so taken by a Stephen Stills song he heard on the radio that he decided to quit his job and sing, despite no prior experience. Ray explains, "I taught myself to sing from the gut and not from the nose." So true is his method that the album's emotional intimacy becomes near suffocating in a live setting. From the troubling desperation in "Hannah" (I'd walk one mile on this broken glass to fall down at your feet) to the political anger in "How Come" (Everybody trying to reach out to each other/But they don't know where to begin ... It's just man killing man/Killing man), it becomes quite apparent that this unassuming, slight man best expresses himself through his music.

When Ray sings in the title track, "Trouble ... Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble/Trouble been doggin' my soul since the day I was born," many (including his back-up band) nod along, sympathizing as well as identifying with his life stories. He achieves such lyrical poetry through honesty and simplicity, without ever becoming unnecessarily abstract. Ray is as accessible as his music is affecting; he held the rapt attention of the usually fussy, talkative Hollywood crowd. At one point, the weighty silence inside the Avalon was so palpable that you could hear the distant sounds of street traffic.

Compensating for the singer’s shy demeanor, stand-up bass player Chris Thomas is more visibly excited. He drums his hands against his instrument, providing impromptu beats, and moves as though the music possesses him. The five-member string section also rounds out the night, particularly the violinist.

For those already eager to hear the Trouble follow-up, Ray includes a few non-album tracks that are on par with his released offerings, demonstrating that he's still ripe with ideas.

Hope to see everyone at Ray's next performance: July 18 @ the Wiltern with Rachel Yamagata (!). It should be a brilliant evening for emoting.