Working out the kinks

Ray Davies is a legendary musician who rose to fame as a member of The Kinks, a British Invasion band famous for songs such as “You Really Got Me” and “Lola.” Davies was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his band in 1990. Working Man’s Café is Davies’ second official solo album and his fourth overall.
The album kicks off with the strong, politically charged “Vietnam Cowboys,” a powerful anti-globalization protest song that carries a boogie-rockabilly sound reminiscent of Dire Straits or John Fogerty’s solo work. The song’s lyrics are insightful and concurrently critical, with lines such as “Mass production in Saigon, while auto workers laid off in Cleveland.” Davies also pokes fun at Washington: “Wake up in the White House. Zip up your pants and get it together, take a look at your overseas neighbor.”
The acid-laced “Morphine Song” starts off slowly but gradually picks up the pace and morphs into a symphony with horns blaring and melodic piano. The song sounds like a mix between The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” and alt-country band Old 97’s. The song is pleasant musically, but the lyrics paint a darker picture. Davies wrote this song after being shot by thieves in 2004 in New Orleans. The lyrics seem to revolve around the environment in the hospital.
Working Man’s Café is a steady rock album that switches both tempos and genres when it feels like it, while somehow keeping a consistent overall sound. The album is full of mid-tempo tracks and light, drifting rock that sometimes borders on country or soft pop/rock. The catchy “In A Moment” sounds like a potential hit, with its ’70s-rock sound, anthemic sing-along chorus and infectious melody. The spacey “Imaginary Man” is a slow-motion, upbeat song that still manages to provide a hard-driving, emotive chorus anchored by Davies’ voice.
Davies’ latest solo album never fails to provide lifting choruses and songs with mostly evocative lyrics. While this may not be the same album he would have done with The Kinks, Davies proves at age 63 that you’re never too old to rock.