Is this Paul McCartney writing new classical works or Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull or Gary Brooker of Procol Harum wrapping an orchestra around the band's greatest hits? I'm banking on something more. After all, Ray Davies is not like everybody else.
Davies' fans were ecstatic in 2006 when he emerged with his first real solo album, "Other People's Lives." The accompanying tour was a thing of joy. But Davies for several years has had a fixation on getting to the soul of America, as he has done so masterfully with Great Britain. The problem is that Ray's a limey, and only Americans really understand America. Just as only Englishmen understand England. It's like expecting Dickens to write the ultimate American novel and Hemingway to reciprocate with the classic work of English fiction. Ain't gonna happen.
Now Davies is back home, working with the Crouch End Festival Chorus. Somehow I don't think it's just a dodge to capitalize on some old hits. We'll see. Is this the start of another heartbreaker or. ...?
