Kinks legend Ray Davies has announced he will be returning with a new solo album. Titled Our Country: Americana Act II, the record will arrive on June 29 via Legacy Recordings.
The album comes as a follow-up to Davies' 2017 solo effort Americana and his 2013 memoir of the same name. You can get a taste of the upcoming sequel album with the newly premiered track "Our Country," which you can hear below.
A press release explains Our Country was "borne from Davies' vision of America — how it shaped him and evolved through the years. His reflections on his experiences in America instigate personal reformation, and eventually rediscovery and celebration of his own origins."
Our Country: Americana Act II was arranged and produced by Davies. It was co-produced by Guy Massey and John Jackson, and all the songs are Ray Davies originals. This includes new renditions of the Kinks' Muswell Hillbillies track "Oklahoma U.S.A.," "The Real World" from Davies' 2007 solo LP Working Man's Café and "The Gateway" from 2006's Other Peoples Lives.
Like its predecessor, Our Country was recorded at the legendary Konk Studios in London with guitarist Bill Shanley. In addition to a group of UK musicians, the Jayhawks once again serve as Davies' backing band on the record.
"The book [Americana] has got some song references in it and the songs are part of the narrative, so the trick was to get the record to stand up as a record, as well as being part of a series," Davies said in an album announcement video that you can see at the bottom of the page. "I think people that like the first album understand where it's going. [Our Country] is what happens when you get there."
Besides the new album, Davies is currently working on a theatre or film piece based on his overall Americana project.
You can pre-order Our Country: Americana Act II on CD, digitally and as a 2-LP set over here.
Our Country: Americana Act II:
1. Our Country
2. The Invaders (spoken word)
3. Back In The Day
4. Oklahoma U.S.A.
5. Bringing Up Baby
6. The Getaway
7. The Take
8. We Will Get There
9. The Real World
10. A Street Called Hope
11. The Empty Room
12. Calling Home
13. Louisiana Sky
14. March Of The Zombies
15. The Big Weird
16. Tony And Bob
17. The Big Guy
18. Epilogue
19. Muswell Kills
The album comes as a follow-up to Davies' 2017 solo effort Americana and his 2013 memoir of the same name. You can get a taste of the upcoming sequel album with the newly premiered track "Our Country," which you can hear below.
A press release explains Our Country was "borne from Davies' vision of America — how it shaped him and evolved through the years. His reflections on his experiences in America instigate personal reformation, and eventually rediscovery and celebration of his own origins."
Our Country: Americana Act II was arranged and produced by Davies. It was co-produced by Guy Massey and John Jackson, and all the songs are Ray Davies originals. This includes new renditions of the Kinks' Muswell Hillbillies track "Oklahoma U.S.A.," "The Real World" from Davies' 2007 solo LP Working Man's Café and "The Gateway" from 2006's Other Peoples Lives.
Like its predecessor, Our Country was recorded at the legendary Konk Studios in London with guitarist Bill Shanley. In addition to a group of UK musicians, the Jayhawks once again serve as Davies' backing band on the record.
"The book [Americana] has got some song references in it and the songs are part of the narrative, so the trick was to get the record to stand up as a record, as well as being part of a series," Davies said in an album announcement video that you can see at the bottom of the page. "I think people that like the first album understand where it's going. [Our Country] is what happens when you get there."
Besides the new album, Davies is currently working on a theatre or film piece based on his overall Americana project.
You can pre-order Our Country: Americana Act II on CD, digitally and as a 2-LP set over here.
Our Country: Americana Act II:
1. Our Country
2. The Invaders (spoken word)
3. Back In The Day
4. Oklahoma U.S.A.
5. Bringing Up Baby
6. The Getaway
7. The Take
8. We Will Get There
9. The Real World
10. A Street Called Hope
11. The Empty Room
12. Calling Home
13. Louisiana Sky
14. March Of The Zombies
15. The Big Weird
16. Tony And Bob
17. The Big Guy
18. Epilogue
19. Muswell Kills
