Ray Davies

Ray Davies' 2006 return, Other People's Lives, was well-written and contained the flat-out lovely "Thanksgiving Day." The album deserved to be a comeback hit, but Davies has never been blessed with either good fortune or mass success. Here, Davies tours the effects of globalization and homogenization on helpless Yanks and Brits while his swaggering pub rock recalls the Kinks' 1970s rock period. Davies' very personal vision shines on "Imaginary Man," "Real World" and "You're Asking Me" -- proving that nobody can write a Ray Davies song the way that the real Ray Davies can.