COWBOYS AND INJURIES

Ray Davies

Americana

★★★★

(LEGACY, 2017)

The quintessential English pop songwriter does… America? Yet the Muswell Hillbilly explores the visions of the US that inspired post-war Brits with insight and undimmed skill, while drawing on The Kinks’ ’60s misadventures Stateside. The ironically Blur-esque The Deal is an epic comment on LA’s illusions. The Jayhawks offer faultless backing throughout. Inevitably, since this is Ray Davies, it’s the poetry of disappointment. And it sounds like a musical.