Ray Davies of the Kinks talks new solo album, ‘Our Country’

Ray Davies was 20 when he and the Kinks, including 18-year-old brother Dave on lead guitar, arrived in New York City, four British invaders riding high on such career-defining early singles as “You Really Got Me” and “Tired of Waiting for You.”

Davies recalls the scene that greeted them at JFK in “Americana,” a 2013 memoir devoted to his relationship with a country that has fascinated him since childhood: “A big fat customs officer spelled it out. ‘Are you a Beatle or a girl?’”

The stories he tells in “Americana” inspired a wealth of new material, as captured on 2017’s “Americana” and a second album due Friday, “Our Country: Americana Act II.”

Davies recorded both “Americana” albums with the Jayhawks, alternativecountry veterans from Minneapolis

whose sympathetic backing lends a distinctly American flavor to the songs.

We caught up with Davies to talk “Americana” and the journey that inspired it, including his life with the Kinks, who announced this week they are regrouping after more than 20 years apart.

Question: What do you suppose it is that’s drawn you to writing about your relationship with America in recent years?

Answer: Well, obviously, America, when I was a child, had a big impact on me, because growing up in the austerity of post-war Britain, America offered the chance of freedom. I think of it as Britain was in black and white and America appeared in Technicolor. More opportunity. The music, of course, was very compelling. But just the sense of freedom, open spaces. People forget how small the U.K. is. It’s not very big, you know. Some people drive further to get to a shopping mall in America than it takes to drive from one end of England to another.

Q: Do you recall your earliest impressions of America?

A: When we were about 5 or 6, we used to go to watch the Saturday morning movies with people like Tom Mix and the Lone Ranger. They were all very picture postcard. Of course when we toured there, realism set in. Q: How did reality compare to expectations? A: Well, the scale was still the same. But it became scary. It was post-Bay of Pigs. Kennedy had been shot. It was 1965, long-haired people coming to America.

There’s a track called “The Invaders” on the new record about the experience.

Q: Do you see this album as a sequel to “Americana” or more as a companion piece?

A: Oh, it’s a companion piece without a doubt. When I started this, it was going to be a three-album project. It’s still my ambition at some point to do a workshop where I can put the whole show down on stage, not as a musical or anything, but an event to put it together in sequence. But that’s down the line. It’s enough to make the record for now.

Q: So you had already planned to do this record when you made “Americana?”

A: Oh yes, it was all part of the plan. We recorded some tracks on the same session as the first album. It was kind of honed to fit the storyline. Without beating you over the head with it, I think it works quite well, storytelling-wise.

Q: You worked with the Jayhawks on both records. What appealed to you about working with them as a backing band?

A: Well, they’re more than a backing band. They bring a great energy to the record. Great casting. They adapted really well. I like working with a band rather than using session musicians. I tried using U.K. session guys but I wanted a group feel. There’s something about a band that work together. They have, like, a telepathy. They interact easily. And I think I achieved that. They were great sports.

Q: Do you think the American dream is as strong as it seemed to you in the ‘60s?

A: I still think it’s there. It’s a bit tainted by all the events that have gone on since the ‘60s, but it’s still there.

Q: Have you thought about what sort of theme or

topic might inspire your next move after these albums?

A: Maybe Europa. The world is poised to make a move. It’s very interesting. And I’ve got this pet project I want to do about families. I’m very interested in families because coming from a large family, now that everybody’s spread out, it’s very interesting to see the way our family has evolved.

Q: Speaking of family, do you see yourself working with Dave at all again at any point?

A: You know, I spoke to him on the phone the other day. Actually spoke ... So we’re talking about it.

Q: Wow! Does the idea of working with Dave excite you at all?

A: Yeah. It terrifies me and excites me. It’s always a challenge with Dave because he’s a great player and he’s so unpredictable. He’s still got the chops. So who knows? He inspires me to want to write.