Tribute suffers from big name crowd-out

Is it just me, or has Bruce Springsteen always sounded like he’s 75 years old?

Either way, he and Ray Davies sound older than ever on “Better Days,” the opening track to Davies’ self-produced tribute album to the Kinks. Despite the enthusiasm and skill with which a slew of big names duet with Davies on his band’s old hits, the album is somewhat less than the sum of its parts.

To be fair, “See My Friends” greatly improves after Paloma Faith is done ruining “Lola.” (Hint to Davies: Next time, don’t kill the irony by having a woman sing it.)

There are even moments of high energy and classic Kinks sound, like the rollicking headbanger “All Day And All Of The Night/Destroyer” with Billy Corgan and the fun romp through deep cut “David Watts” with The 88.

For a tribute album, “See My Friends”  isn’t terrible. In fact, it’s nostalgic and fun for fans, which is the whole point.  

But the best tracks sound most like the Kinks, so go buy some originals and call it a day.