Gossip In The Grain
by Ray LaMontagne
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. AllMusic
    80
    Gossip in the Grain is LaMontagne's most adventurous recording, yet in many ways it's also the most focused and well executed.
  2. Billboard
    80
    While there's not a bad one in the bunch, once you've heard LaMontagne loosen up, you're left starving for more of it.
  3. Uncut
    80
    While ['You Are The Best Thing'] gets the LP off to a rousing start, the song also serves a thematic purpose by celebrating the pleasures and synergy of a smoothly functioning conjugal unit--an ideal that stands in stark contrast to the romantic torment that follows.
  5. Boston Globe
    80
    The intense and intensely bearded Maine singer-songwriter showcases a lighter side on his superbly crafted third disc.
  6. PopMatters
    80
    Now we get Gossip in the Grain, the artist’s most cohesive, career-defining album to date.
  7. Q Magazine
    80
    It might alienate those who prefer him to wallow, but there's magic and bravery here. [Dec 2008, p.130]
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  8. Austin Chronicle
    78
    Gossip finds the perfect balance between his raw emotional pull, singed in the soft sway of 'Let It Be Me' and on desperate ballad 'Winter Birds,' with Ethan Johns' deftly layered production and arrangements.
  9. Slant Magazine
    70
    Gossip in the Grain clearly shows he can do more than the typical singer-songwriter navel gazing.
  10. Entertainment Weekly
    67
    On Gossip in the Grain, he slides effortlessly between horn-inflected R&B and hushed Nick Drake-like folk, with stops in between for string-band country, flute-flavored chamber pop, and harmonica-stoked blues.
  11. Paste Magazine
    67
    His voice proves his best instrument, which doesn’t make him any different from other earnest strummers out there. It does, however, invest these songs with a distinctively twilit poignancy.
  12. Spin
    60
    Well respected for sparse, plaintive bummer folk since his 2004 debut, LaMontagne gets a bit more expansive here, gently juking his earthy rasp with Stax-y horns, guitar twang, and lilting lady backup vocals.
  13. Rolling Stone
    60
    It's so earnest, you hope everything works out--so long as he doesn't steal the White Stripes drummer away from her main gig.
  14. Tiny Mix Tapes
    60
    Although LaMontagne fans will surely lap up this new offering, the album doesn’t have enough quality content to really sustain the interest of new listeners.
  15. Under The Radar
    50
    Although an album of undoubted breadth and invention, Gossip In The Grain may only serve ultimately to send fans back to the stark beauty of "Trouble." [Fall 2008, p.76]
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  16. Mojo
    40
    Elsewhere, Lamontange's vocals slip back into mope mode, but his tour band's firm playing and decent string arrangemebts add an aura of depth and substance. [Dec 2008, p.110]
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Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Most Shared Album of 2008

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20
  1. Ricko
    Apr 20, 2012
    7
    Third album from the singer songwriter. The voice is still as good as ever and "You Are the Best Thing" is the best thing he's written. TheThird album from the singer songwriter. The voice is still as good as ever and "You Are the Best Thing" is the best thing he's written. The rest of the album has too many dull moments though in comparison with his first 2 records. The pace has always been slow with this artist but alot of the songs on this don't have the same soul as before. Still a good record though.… Full Review »
  2. ScottF
    Nov 28, 2008
    9
    I love his voice and cannot gt enough of it. I was first hooked by his rendition of "Crazy" which is worth a download and made me an instant I love his voice and cannot gt enough of it. I was first hooked by his rendition of "Crazy" which is worth a download and made me an instant fan. I was a bit surprised by this album as it starts of a bit happier and upbeat but he holds his own and never feels out of place in his songs… Full Review »
  3. Sarah
    Oct 21, 2008
    10
    Another winner from Ray!
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