With the release of stellar new albums by Neil Young, Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones in late 2005, it has not taken too long for 2006 to witness the resurrection of another '60s pop/rock icon deserving of a comeback. This time around it is former The Kinks frontman Ray Davies with his magnificent solo album Other People's Lives. Similar to last year's efforts from his fellow senior citizens, 61-year-old Davies' latest ranks among his best work in years, even if it is his first solo album.
Flying relatively under the radar since the '70s, Davies and The Kinks
disbanded in 1996 with relatively little fanfare. Beginning in 1999, Davies slowly wrote and recorded new tracks over the next four years for what would become his first non-Kinks release. Intending to release the record in 2004, plans were halted when Davies was shot while attempting to stop a mugging in New Orleans where the album was recorded. Finally, seven years after it was started and 10 years after the breakup of The Kinks, Davies unleashes this brilliant addition to his already remarkable canon.
Beginning with a swell of feedback and a husky growl, the album quickly jumps into '60s and '70s Kinks mode and never relinquishes. Laced in catchy melodies complemented by Davies' typically offbeat subject matter, it is immediately evident the guy who wrote the classic rock staple Lola,\ a song about a young man's acquaintance with a transvestite, is back in top form.
The sublime ""All She Wrote,"" a song which recites one man's dreaded Dear John letter, heralds back to ""Waterloo Sunset""-era Kinks, while the bittersweet ""After The Fall"" acts as an eerie foreshadowing to both Hurricane Katrina and Davies' 2004 shooting.
While longstanding Kinks fans will appreciate this nod to the band's luminous legacy, Davies' lyrical wit, entrancing melodies and undeniably pleasurable vocals are enough to draw in even those who know nothing about him. In listening to this record alone it is easy to glimpse the influence his work has had on everyone from Nic Armstrong and The Thieves to Talking Heads.
While diehard Kinks fans may find it hard to find a song which matches his best from the '60s or '70s, and will probably find the musical backing to be somewhat shallow without the typical hook-heavy riffs and angelic harmonies provided by brother and Kinks guitarist Dave Davies, it is hard not to appreciate this effort. Whether you are a fan of The Kinks, Davies' first crack at solo work proves to be a good time.\
