by Ray Davies
Release Date: 29 June 2018
Format: LP Double Vinyl
Label: Sony Music
£16.99
Ray Davies Our Country: Americana Act II Limited Vinyl 2LP Set
Overview:
OUR COUNTRY: Americana act II, the eagerly awaited new album from Ray Davies is released on June 29th.
The continuing story of The Kinks co-founder’s journeys through America, as depicted in his 2013 memoir Americana and last year’s album of the same name, OUR COUNTRY: AMERICANA ACT II is an album borne from Davies’ vision of America - how it shaped him and evolved through the years. His reflections on his experiences in America instigate personal reformation, and eventually rediscovery and celebration of his own origins.
OUR COUNTRY, like its predecessor, was recorded at the legendary Konk Studios in London with guitarist Bill Shanley and The Jayhawks once again serving as Davies’ backing band plus a group of UK musicians. The album
picks up several intriguing musical threads from Davies’ extraordinary songwriting catalogue, from the opener “Our Country” – which is developed on a theme melody heard in AMERICANA’s title track – to reinterpretations of songs inspired by America and written for other projects over the years, including “Oklahoma USA” (first heard on The Kinks’ MUSWELL HILBILLIES), “The Real World” (from 2007’s acclaimed solo album, WORKING MAN’S CAFÉ) and “The Getaway” (from 2006’s OTHER PEOPLES LIVES).
OUR COUNTRY: AMERICANA ACT II was arranged and produced by Ray Davies; the album was co-produced by Guy Massey and John Jackson. All songs by Ray Davies.
Davies’ first all original solo work in a decade, AMERICANA was greeted with international critical acclaim upon its release last year. “The Kinks legend uses AMERICANA to blaze a path through both America's rock ’n’ roll history and his own,” raved Pitchfork. “Its back-to-basics energy and prosaic storytelling make it Davies’ best solo album in years.” Mojo called it “his most personal album to date” and Uncut said that “AMERICANA is a deeply satisfying reminder that Davies remains a songwriter with a huge reach but few equals”.
Featured Tracks:
Our Country
The Invaders
Back in the Day
Oklahoma USA
Bringing Up Baby
The Getaway
The Take
We Will Get There
The Real World
A Street Called Hope
The Empty Room
Calling Home
Louisiana Sky
March of the Zombies
The Big Weird
Tony and Bob
The Big Guy
Epilogue
Muswell Kills
Release Date: 27 May 2022
Format: LP Double Vinyl
Label: Sony Music
£16.99 £9.99
