Ray Davies Working Man's Cafe CD - Import

The Kinks stopped being a working band in 1996, but it still took frontman Ray Davies another decade to release his first proper solo album. The follow-up, WORKING MAN'S CAFE, came along a relatively speedy two years later. Those who are familiar with latter-day Kinks recordings will recognize a sonic thread here, but while there are some moments that lean toward harder-edged rock, WORKING MAN'S CAFE is ultimately a singer-songwriter album, with the highly melodic, elegantly crafted tunes serving the intentions of Davies's lyrics.

As has been the case since the '60s, Davies focuses his attention on sociopolitical themes, delving into both the political and sociological aspects of modern life. He alternately laments one man's inability to affect global politics ("Listen to Me") and rails eloquently against the misdirection of international economic practices ("Vietnam Cowboys"). Of course, this being the man who wrote "Waterloo Sunset" and "Days," those concerns are couched in musical frameworks so appealing that they taste like candy going down.

2007 release of the second solo album by the founder and former frontman of The Kinks, one of the best albums of his incredible career. His first, Other People’s Lives, was a lifetime in the making, while this album happened relatively quickly. It was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and mixed in North London at Konk Studios, featuring 10 stellar songs co-produced with Ray Kennedy. They assembled a crackerjack band of top musicians who breathed life into a wonderful collection of songs. The album is infused with a transatlantic sound befitting Ray’s close ties to the American south coupled with his well respected Englishness. From the first upbeat notes of the lead track ‘Vietnam Cowboys’, it is clear Ray has never sung better. The album presents a wistful, humorous and poignant look at life in the 21st Century, just what we have come to expect from one of Britain’s greatest songwriters. Highlights are many and include the Preservation Jazz Hall sway of ‘Morphine Song’, the painful longing of ‘Imaginary Man’ and the haunting emotion of ‘One More Time’. Brimming with variety, ‘Voodoo Walk’ is a steamy stroll on the rock side. ‘You’re Asking Me’ and ‘In A Moment’ offer incredibly affecting pop while ‘Working Man’s Café’ revisits familiar Davies territory, that yearning for an era gone by. V2

Arranger: Ray Davies .

Personnel: Ray Davies (vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Pat Buchanan (electric guitar); Timothy Lauer (keyboards); Craig Young (bass guitar); Shannon Otis Forrest (drums); Karin Forsman, Ray Kennedy (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Ray Kennedy.

Rolling Stone (p.70) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[H]e turns out loose melodies amid nimble bar-band grooves..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.97) - "[With] a cache of Kinks-worthy melodies...[including] the gorgeous 'The Real World,' and 'You're Asking Me,' which could almost be a lost tune from the late '60s."
Blender (Magazine) (p.97) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "When it comes to writing beautiful, wistfully nostalgic tunes, no one can top former Kinks frontman Ray Davies."
Harp (magazine) (p.93) - "WORKING MAN'S CAFE is sharper and more direct, a reaching back to Davies' most biting social commentary and the pointed wit of prime Kinks days."
Paste (magazine) (p.71) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Electric guitars crank for 'Peace In Our Time' and arpeggiate for 'Imaginary Man.' Horns add punch to 'Morphine Song.'"