Sell it again, Sam: The former Kink continues his practice of reworking his back catalogue with ‘collaborators’. For diehard fans or all music lovers?
The Kinks’ frontman has certainly pulled out the stops for the latest in what his repackaging exercise of his back catalogue.
It runs the gamut from Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody and folkies-du-jour Mumford & Sons to nasal ex-Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan, cheese rock behemoth Bon Jovi and a brusque Bruce Springsteen tackling the greats.
Metallica’s go at You Really Got Me all feels a bit Guitar Hero, Ray’s voice dwarfed next to James Hetfield’s roar, while Paloma Faith’s cover of Lola reeks of promise (a more muscle-pop arrangement and quiet dumping of Davies’ vocals would have improved it no end).
But plenty of good performances are turned in, particularly with Lucinda Williams on Long Way From Home.
A largely sympathetic reflavouring of Kinks classics.
3 stars
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