I'll Put the Kettle On. . .

It's been nearly a year since it's release, but I've found myself listening to Ray Davies' Other People's Lives quite a bit lately. I gave it numerous listens upon its release, but it somehow got lost in the shuffle of all the music released last year. I'm glad I've rediscovered it. It is great to hear new material from Davies, and his songwriting is as sharp as ever. Certainly an under-rated songwriter. His observations of normal people leading their normal lives is acute, remarkable, and at times stunning. The one complaint I have, and it's a small one, is that without Dave and the other members of the Kinks along for the ride, the music doesn't quite possess as much personality and idiosyncracy as we've come to expect from Ray. The session musicians do a great job - it's just it is a bit too polished. Like I said, a minor complaint. I didn't rediscover this album until after I made my Favorites of 2006 list (which you can check out over at "Neumu":http://www.neumu.net), but this one belongs on it. Give it a listen, especially "Thanksgiving Day."