New Hampshire-born singer/songwriter Ray LaMontagne personifies the mysterious yet tender troubadour. After years performing at local venues, he released his debut album, Trouble, in 2004. Since then, he's freely experimented with Southern soul, roots rock, electric blues, and psychedelia. But it's LaMontagne's guttural voice, coated with a Van Morrison-esque rasp, that'll hit you the hardest. Add to that his six-string virtuosity—the foundation for his warmest ballads and most cinematic anthems—and prepare to encounter love in its greatest and bleakest forms.