Ray Davies – Our Country: Americana Act II

Our Country: Americana Act II is the eagerly awaited new album from Ray Davies. 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’ Musewell Hilbillies), The Real World (from 2007’s acclaimed solo album, Working Man’s Cafe) and The Getaway (from 2006’s Other Peoples Lives). The album was arranged and produced by Ray Davies; the album was co-produced by Guy Massey and John Jackson. All songs by Ray Davies.