Ray LaMontange is an artist whose breed may be on the brink of extinction. No paparazzi follow his every move.

Lamontange remains elusive. But his delivery is not. With eyes shut, mouth wide open, Lamontange sings from the gut. Unfortunately, despite a strong debut in 2004 with Trouble, he hasn’t done much. Better known in Britain, Lamontange, 35, has been touring and working on his third release, Gossip in the Grain.

“I feel like I kinda got tagged immediately as some kind of blue-eyed soul and that’s really not me,” he said about his raspy bluegrass style.

Instead, this former carpenter says he can do anything. ”Not necessarily very well,” he admitted, “but I just love music.”

“You are the Best Thing” is the first single from Gossip in the Grain that demonstrates how good this guy really is. The lyrics, which he writes himself, are simple but his burning delivery gets your attention. Download “Hold You in My Arms” from Trouble.