| One of popular music's greatest storytellers delivers an EP that's a bit of a mixed bag, but sit a spell in N10 anyway. |
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Ray Davies
Thanksgiving Day EP
V2 (2005)
That Ray Davies is one of popular music's greatest observers of human nature and one of its finest songwriters is indisputable. He wrote "You Really Got Me," for goodness sake (okay, Dave Davies came up with the riff, but still). He also wrote "Picture Book" and "Apeman" and "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and a whole lot of other classics. And now he's about to release his first solo album after an incredible 40 year career, which must be about the longest solo album gestation period in the history of rock 'n' roll. As a taster to whet the public's appetite, this mixed bag of an EP has come out in advance of the February 7 release date for the album.
"Thanksgiving Day," the main track here (which also appears in an alternate, less effective, mix) is the only one of the five that will grace Other People's Lives. A catchy, New Orleans-flavored, bluesy workout, the song is driven along by some nice guitar work and a solid horn arrangement, capped by some emotional backing vocals from the Crouch End Festival Chorus. Not classic Davies, but certainly a keeper and probably a grower.
"Yours Truly Confused N10," a jazzy, upbeat status check on the world at large that boasts a muscular, pulsating horn arrangement by Pete Long, drumming by Squeeze's Gilson Lavis, and the welcome presence of Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, is even better. It's really great, actually; it smokes with abandon and it's quite the stick of musical dynamite.
"London Song" originally appeared in two different versions on Davies' 1998 album, The Storyteller. The first, and preferable, version might as well be a different song than the studio reworking that closes The Storyteller and receives a Hammond organ overdub on the EP. In an acoustic setting, the song is classic Davies that wouldn't have sounded out of place on just about any 1960s Kinks album. Davies' vocal is sensitive and warm and emotive--all the colors of the musical rainbow, actually. The reworking is all wrong. Davies' spoken word verses sound like bad rap, and the silly backing vocals are simply, well, silly. Things pick up with the countries "Storyteller," previously heard on the aforementioned, same-named album. It's a nice, Dire Straits type of mid-tempo ballad.
So, a mixed bag to be sure, but I'm still looking forward to Other People's Lives. Davies has spent his whole career commenting on them, and I'm betting he's got a lot of interesting things to say.
Alan Haber
January 8, 2006
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