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While "Trouble" celebrated being saved by a woman, Ray LaMontagne’s God Willin’ kicks that no good lyin’ lady to the curb. But it doesn’t take long for this pariah dog to beg her back, let her go again, then finally stroll on toward the sunset, head held high.
This journey of rejection and regret begins with "Repo Man," a rolling acoustic groove embellished with the ominous snake rattle of a tambourine. When LaMontagne’s gravel-scrubbed vocals enter the albumwell past the one-minute mark, we’re transported to what feels like a familiar back-porch hootenanny, whiskey at the ready. "What makes you think I’m gonna take you back? I ain’t your repo man," Ray snarls. What’s unfamiliar is his confrontational tone, which softens when LaMontagne ultimately points the finger at himself.
God Willin’ represents the most manic mood swing of LaMontagne’s catalog, which may be a reflection of his debut as producer. Neither matters, as one listen to God Willin’ only proves he’ll likely outliveand outdo most of his peers. Still, critics have gotten so caught up in comparing the artist to the likes of Levon Helm and Stephen Stills–both 30 years his senior–that they somehow manage to miss RayLaMontagne altogether.
His five-member backup group, which includes Son Volt guitarist Eric Heywood, spent two weeks recording God Willin’ at the band leader’s Massachusetts home. Greg Leisz’s pedal steel guitar work compliments drummer Jay Bellerose’s tom walloping, which echoes like the sluggish pound of a lonely heartbeat on the album’s title track. Rootsier rock structures have replaced the soulful gusto from past Ray records, but he hasn’t lost his knack for weaving in those soulful hooks on songs like "Beg Steal or Borrow." He pleads for mercy on "For the Summer," and embraces his limitations on the banjo ballad "Old Before Your Time" ("What’s the use of stacking on every failure another stone/Til you find you spent your whole life building walls," he sings).
God Willin’ stands as rock music’s first Americana document of the decade. And while not as engaging as 2008’s Gossip in the Grain, this fourth LaMontagne effort further promises longevity, a dog in the fight for a long time to come.
