Americana (Ray Davies album)

Americana is an album by English rock musician Ray Davies, released by Legacy Recordings in April 2017. Like Davies' 2013 book of the same name, it explores his lifelong fascination with the music and culture of the United States, and his experiences of touring and living there. The album features contributions from members of American country rock band the Jayhawks.

Americana
Studio album by Ray Davies
Released	21 April 2017
Studio	Konk, London
Genre	Rock
Length	58:24
Label	Legacy
Producer	Ray Davies Guy Massey John Jackson
Ray Davies chronology
See My Friends (2010) Americana (2017) Our Country: Americana Act II (2018)

Background

Although thought of as a quintessentially British songwriter,[1][2] Ray Davies grew up fascinated by American music and cinema.[3] The Kinks, the band he formed with his brother Dave, were initially heavily influenced by American musical styles, particularly rhythm and blues. When a permit refusal imposed by the American Federation of Musicians effectively banned the Kinks from touring the United States between 1965 and 1969,[4] Davies began to focus his songwriting on more British themes, resulting in albums such as The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968) and Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) (1969). Following the lifting of the ban and their return to the US, the Kinks released the country rock-tinged Muswell Hillbillies (1971), with Davies' writing exploring the influences of American culture on his North London upbringing.[5]

Davies' US connections were strengthened when the Kinks successfully reinvented themselves as an arena rock act, extensively touring North America in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[6] He also briefly lived in New York City during that era.[7] Following the Kinks' break-up in the 1990s, Davies settled in New Orleans, where in 2004 he was shot in the leg following an altercation with a mugger.[8] In 2013, he published his memoir Americana: The Kinks, the Road and the Perfect Riff, looking back on these experiences and his complex relationship with America.[9]

Recording

Following the release of the book, Davies decided to expand the Americana project with an accompanying album, his first of new solo material since Working Man's Café in 2007. The album was recorded at the Kinks' Konk studios in Hornsey, London, with American country rock group the Jayhawks as Davies' backing band.[1] Jayhawks keyboard player Karen Grotberg duets with Davies on "Message From the Road"[10] and "A Place in Your Heart".[11] The album was produced and arranged by Davies himself, with co-producers Guy Massey and John Jackson. The album was released in 2017. It reached number 15 on the UK charts and 79 in the US.

In the sessions for Americana, Davies recorded sufficient material for a follow-up album.[12] The album Our Country: Americana Act II was released separately in 2018 and reached number 58 on the UK charts.[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	80/100[14]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]
American Songwriter	[1]
Classic Rock	[16]
The Guardian	[17]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, Americana received an average score of 80, indicating "generally favourable reviews", based on 19 critics.[14] In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine says, "What makes it last are the songs, which are wry, moving, and truthful, which wasn't always the case in his book".[15] Classic Rock described the album as "a resounding success" with Davies "in terrific, matchless voice",[16] while American Songwriter said it was a "first class offering ... and a worthy entry into Ray Davies’ rightfully esteemed catalog".[1] A more negative review in The Guardian described the songs as "weedy" and "naff", likening the album to "an Alan Partridge-presented country happy hour".[17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ray Davies.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Americana"	4:02
2.	"The Deal"	5:03
3.	"Poetry"	5:05
4.	"Message From the Road"	2:57
5.	"A Place in Your Heart"	5:03
6.	"The Mystery Room"	3:51
7.	"Silent Movie"	1:11
8.	"Rock 'N' Roll Cowboys"	4:21
9.	"Change for Change"	3:23
10.	"The Man Upstairs"	1:37
11.	"I've Heard That Beat Before"	4:03
12.	"A Long Drive Home to Tarzana"	4:59
13.	"The Great Highway"	4:43
14.	"The Invaders"	3:47
15.	"Wings of Fantasy"	4:19

Personnel

Musicians

• Ray Davies – lead vocals, guitars, piano, backing vocals, percussion, spoken word, dropped beer glasses and broken tea cups
• Bill Shanley – acoustic guitars, electric guitars, backing vocals
• Gary Louris – acoustic guitars, electric guitars, backing vocals
• Marc Perlman – bass, backing vocals
• Tim O'Reagan – drums, backing vocals, percussion
• Karen Grotberg – piano, keyboards, lead vocals, backing vocals
• John Jackson – mandolin, violin, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, 12-string guitar, backing vocals, percussion

Technical personnel

• Ray Davies – producer, arranger
• Guy Massey – co-producer, recording and mixing
• John Jackson – co-producer
• Josh Green – recording and mixing
• Bob Ludwig – mastering[18]

References

1. Horowitz, Hal (18 April 2017). "Ray Davies: Americana". American Songwriter. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
2. Pearson, Rick (21 April 2017). "Ray Davies – Americana review: 'a star-spangled success'". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
3. Savage, Mark (23 April 2017). "To Ray Davies, America is a 'beautiful but dangerous' place". BBC News. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
4. Chilton, Martin. "Ray Davies: America has finally accepted The Kinks". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
5. Adams, Tim (7 December 2013). "Ray Davies: 'I'm haunted by the songs I have written but never recorded'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
6. Wawzenek, Bryan (19 November 2014). "30 Years Ago: The Kinks' Resurgence Ends with 'Word of Mouth'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
7. Deevoy, Adrian (11 May 2017). "The Kinks' Ray Davies: Brexit is 'bigger than the Berlin Wall'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
8. Campbell, Duncan (6 January 2004). "Kinks star Ray Davies shot after chasing muggers". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
9. Horovitz, Michael (13 November 2013). "Americana: The Kinks, the Road and the Perfect Riff, by Ray Davies". The Independent. London. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
10. "Hear Ray Davies' Debut Song from His First Album in Nine Years". Guitar Player. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
11. Woodcraft, Molloy (23 April 2017). "Ray Davies: Americana review – Kink's Stateside almanac". The Observer. London. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
12. Kielty, Martin (24 April 2017). "Ray Davies Has 20 Songs for 'Americana' Sequel". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
13. Our Country: Americana Act II, Legacy Recordings, 2018
14. Americana at Metacritic. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
15. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Americana at AllMusic. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
16. Bell, Max (25 March 2017). "Ray Davies - Americana album review". Classic Rock. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
17. Rogers, Jude (20 April 2017). "Ray Davies: Americana review – mooted masterwork sounds weedy". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
18. Americana (liner notes). Ray Davies. Legacy Recordings. 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)