Legacy RecordingsNew details about Kinks frontman Ray Davies‘ upcoming solo album, Americana, and his plan to release a second volume of the autobiographical collection, have been revealed at Shore Fire Media’s website.
On Davies’ bio webpage at the site, Ray explains that he’s putting out a follow-up to Americana, which will arrive later in 2017, because “[t]here was too much music to fit on to one…record.” He adds, “I want both records to be put together and ultimately listened to in that way. There’s two and a half hours of music that should really take you on a journey.”
As previously reported, Americana will be released on April 21 and is a companion the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s 2013 memoir of the same name. The album features spoken-word segments in addition to the songs.
“Structurally, it’s quite complicated,” notes Davies. “The book is quite abstract. The album has some of that feel too because it has music and spoken word, but I had to balance that out. I didn’t want to have an album that was just music with readings interspersed, I wanted the story to flow.”
Ray recorded Americana with the veteran alt-country band The Jayhawks. Davies and the group first got together in February 2015 to test their musical chemistry at The Kinks’ Konk Studios in London.
“We did a couple of numbers and it worked really well,” Ray reports. “They’ve got this sensibility that I like as players.”
While he hasn’t announced any tour dates in support of Americana, Davies says he’s hoping to put together a multimedia show to present his new project.
“I’d like to hook up with a great director to turn Americana into something that’s a combination of stage and screen,” he says.
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