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Ray Davies
Other People's Lives
(V2)
First Appeared in The Music Box, June 2006, Volume 13, #6
Written by John Metzger
The good news about Ray Davies’ solo debut Other People’s Lives is
that the former front man for The Kinks finally has made his long overdue return
to recording. Better still, he sounds more invigorated than he has in years. The
bad news, however, is that he continues to struggle with transcending the
towering legacy of his former band. On tracks such as Next Door Neighbour
and Creatures of Little Faith, he adequately traverses familiar ground,
while After the Fall, which finds Davies copping the vocal mannerisms of
Mick Jagger, simply extends the give-and-take that frequently has occurred
between The Kinks and the Rolling Stones. Elsewhere, he opts, oddly enough, to
shimmy through a hodgepodge of his followers’ offerings — tossing bits of The
Clash into Things Are Gonna Change (The Morning After), merging Screaming
Trees with U2 on All She Wrote, and alluding to both Neil Young and David
Bowie on The Getaway (Lonesome Train). Although the results are far from
disastrous, many of Davies’ pointed lyrics and sturdy melodic structures are
subverted by the cold detachment that is derived from the album’s Pro
Tools-induced ambience of layered over-production. Subsequently, Other
People’s Lives feels labored to the point where it fails to achieve the sort
of cohesive identity necessary for launching the next triumphant chapter of his
career.
Regardless, Davies’ character studies are as insightful as ever. Things
Are Gonna Change (The Morning After) says as much about the daily struggles
of existence as it does about addiction, and both the suburban tale Next Door
Neighbour as well as the fractured relationship outlined on Creatures of
Little Faith also function as psychological self-examinations. Because he
blurs the line between fact and fiction, it is difficult to tell precisely where
Davies’ story ends and those of his subjects begin. Nevertheless, one gets the
distinct sense that, despite his best attempts at misdirection, these particular
ruminations mirror many of his own experiences. This is precisely what makes
Other People’s Lives, despite its flaws, resonate long after it has finished
playing. 
Other People's Lives is available from Amazon.com.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
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