Legacy RecordingsTired of waiting for a new solo album from Ray Davies? Well, you won’t have to wait much longer, as the founding Kinks frontman has unveiled official details about his long-awaited new solo effort, Americana, which will be released on April 21.
Americana, which is a companion piece to his 2013 memoir of the same name, features 15 tracks, as well as spoken-word interludes of Davies reading passages from his book.
The 72-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer recorded Americana with the veteran U.S. roots-rock group The Jayhawks at The Kinks’ Konk Studios in London. Among the songs on the album is “Message from the Road,” which features Ray duetting with Jayhawks keyboardist/backing singer Karen Grotberg.
Like the book, the album was inspired by Davies’ positive and negative experiences in America and the influence the country has had on his life. Lyrics to many of the songs on the album initially appeared in the memoir.
Americana can be pre-ordered now and will be available on CD and vinyl. In addition, Ray is planning to release a second Americana album later in 2017.
Americana is Davies’ first album of new original material since Working Man’s Café, which got its U.S. release in 2008. Late last month, he was awarded a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II, and likely will receive the actual honor sometime in 2017.
Here is the track list for Americana:
“Americana”
“The Deal”
“Poetry”
“Message from the Road”
“A Place in Your Heart”
“The Mystery Room”
“Silent Movie”
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Cowboys”
“Change for Change”
“The Man Upstairs”
“I’ve Heard that Beat Before”
“A Long Drive Home to Tarzana”
“The Great Highway”
“The Invaders”
“Wings of Fantasy”
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