A few years ago, Dave Davies made a very good album (Open Road) alongside his son Russ. It was a really great combination of songs and the playing was great. This release, Decade
, is new, but it features vintage songs that Dave Davies wrote and recorded back in the '70s during a time when he was a big part of The Kinks. The feel of the material reflects the times in which it was written.
It’s a very nice collection of songs that were really good but for some reason never made it onto a record. Dave is a great writer, and it shows here. Many of the tracks even have a hit potential. While the songs come from different years, the album really flows, and as a whole, it shows a big picture to his work. What shines here is the execution of these songs; they are very well played and arranged.
The collection also proves what a good writer Dave Davies is. In the context of The Kinks, he was always left a little behind brother Ray’s shadow when it came to songwriting (to Ray’s credit, he did deliver the goods). Dave, however, has a very specific charisma in his songwriting and style that’s very evident. Listening to these songs, one is not surprised that they didn’t fit many of Ray’s concept album efforts of the '70s. But they sure elevate the feel The Kinks were trying to portray back in the ‘70s.
This writer found himself replaying this album constantly in the last few weeks, and with each play discovering more attributes to the overall songwriting. It’s simply great '70s rock. Decades is a collection of songs with a very organic feel: not faked in the studio with the latest set of effects, but delivered by a real life musician. This release delivers on every front -- it’s a must-have album if you are a Kinks fan, but even if you’re not, it stands proudly on its own.