Ray Davies - Our Country
I had always appreciated that there was more to The Kinks than just Waterloo Sunset and Lola, and knew much of the band's back-story and rise to fame. But, until Ray Davies released his solo album Americana last year, I had not understood just how much the band considered by many as 'quintessentially English' had been shaped by the music of that country. Based on Davies' experiences in the United States the partly autobiographical album was recorded at Konk Studios, and appeared to offer a rounded and well produced musical memoir / homage.
However, enough unreleased material remained from those sessions to develop an Americana Act II, again featuring guitarist Bill Shanley and The Jayhawks, but this time with even more spoken word interludes between the songs. In Our Country, Davies recalls a groupie he met in the midwest, and dwells somewhat on his relationship with New Orleans, albeit a city where he was shot in 2004.
There are re-workings of several songs from previous albums – Oklahoma USA first appeared on Muswell Hilbillies, The Real World is plucked from Working Man's Café, and The Getaway escapes from Other Peoples Lives. But Our Country still stands as a legitimate opus in its own right. If you do not already own the prequel it may be worth hanging on for the inevitable two-album collector's edition that will soon surely follow.
6/10
