Albums to watch

Americana

Ray Davies

Americana

First solo album for nine years from The Kinks frontman with a second volume due later in 2017

ADM rating[?]

7.0

Label
Sony Music
UK Release date
21/04/2017
US Release date
21/04/2017
  1. 8.3 |   Consequence Of Sound

    The iconic songwriter's piercing pop sensibility translates just as well across the pond
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  2. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    The carefully wrought lyrics of an at-times weary septuagenarian draw you in
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  3. 8.0 |   American Songwriter

    There’s a lot to chew on, but Americana is an overstuffed, first class offering from one of the UK’s most feted songwriters and a worthy entry into Ray Davies’ rightfully esteemed catalog
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  4. 8.0 |   Exclaim

    It's a trip through the mind of one of rock'n'roll's greatest songwriters
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  5. 8.0 |   The Independent

    The kind of concept album that Bernie Taupin might have written for Elton John; but being Ray Davies, it’s not so much comprised of fond, mythopoeic imaginings as the more specific (non-political) relationship that still subsists between Britain and America
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  6. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Americana is as fine a late-career album as one could hope for. For long-time fans and neophytes alike, Americana is a treasure to behold
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  7. 8.0 |   The Music

    Americana' is a late-career classic
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  8. 8.0 |   Uncut

    A deeply satisfying reminder that Davies remains a songwriter with a huge reach but few equals
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  9. 8.0 |   The Observer

    The cod-Native American field holler of Change for Change and the shuffling, jazzy I’ve Heard That Beat Before are highlights
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  10. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    If there’s ever been a moment in your life that Ray Davies or The Kinks made better, you’ll find joy here
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  11. 7.3 |   Pitchfork

    Its back-to-basics energy and prosaic storytelling make it his best solo album in years
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  12. 6.7 |   Paste Magazine

    It’s probably unfair to expect a better album than this one at this stage in Davies’ career, and a handful of songs here are as inspired as anything he has done in at least 30 years
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  13. 6.4 |   Gig Soup

    Davies will always be associated with an idealised version of England – waxing rhapsodic about Waterloo tube station, village greens and dance halls, so to hear him turn his attention to The New World is a real novelty
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  14. 6.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Davies has lost none of his biting wit
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  15. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    Attention begins to waver towards the album’s end, but there are songs here that suggest Davies still has plenty to offer
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  16. 6.0 |   The FT

    Album includes a track that summons the Londoner’s residual love for the US and tales of life on the road
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  17. 6.0 |   Evening Standard

    The Kinks legend goes transatlantic in the first half of a double-album project
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  18. 5.5 |   Under The Radar

    And while sometimes the lyrics seem questionable when considered in the context of that art form, overall Americana is an enjoyable listen with a couple highlights any fan wouldn't want to miss
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  19. 4.0 |   The Guardian

    Americana presents itself as Ray Davies’ late-flowering masterwork, exploring his lifelong love-hate relationship with the US, with the Jayhawks as his backing band. Strip away this biography, though, and these songs shrivel like raisin
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Ray Davies: Americana

  • Download full album for just £8.99
  • 1. Americana £0.99
  • 2. The Deal £0.99
  • 3. Poetry £0.99
  • 4. Message from the Road £0.99
  • 5. A Place in Your Heart £0.99
  • 6. The Mystery Room £0.99
  • 7. Silent Movie £0.99
  • 8. Rock 'N' Roll Cowboys £0.99
  • 9. Change for Change £0.99
  • 10. The Man Upstairs £0.99
  • 11. I've Heard That Beat Before £0.99
  • 12. A Long Drive Home to Tarzana £0.99
  • 13. The Great Highway £0.99
  • 14. The Invaders £0.99
  • 15. Wings of Fantasy £0.99
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