Ray Davies Weaves an Enchanting Spell with The Storyteller

Spellbinding--that's the most descriptive word that I can conjure up to convey my feelings about The Storyteller. It's really a different type of album, and as I'm rapidly finding out, a very difficult album to review. Any good teller of tales sort of weaves an enchanting spell, and that's exactly what Ray Davies does with The Storyteller.

For those of you who have been out of touch for the last forty years or so, Ray Davies is the frontman and genius behind The Kinks, one of the greatest groups to emerge from the "British invasion" that began in the mid-1960's. In my opinion, he's always been one of the most underrated guys in the business--his songwriting skills are inestimable, often humorous with agile wit, and at times sharp and acerbic with poignant social and political commentary. Working together with brother Dave, Ray Davies and The Kinks compiled an impressive body of work that's becoming increasingly timeless.

The Storyteller is everything I like in an album, and more. It's a live performance with a mixture of music (mostly acoustic) and dialogue, all set in an informal atmosphere. The appeal of The Storyteller is that it's engrossingly entertaining, with an intimacy that makes you feel like Davies is sitting in your living room and performing just for you. In one of his first spoken lines on the album, Davies solemnly intones "my name is not important", and that's precisely the point--his performance is so effortless and personal that he could be anybody, not just one of the greatest rock 'n roll musicians on the planet.

The dialogue on this album is really interesting. If you listen to it, you'll hear about the Davies family and the importance of the "front room". All important family events were held in the "front room", and You Really Got Me, the first hit by The Kinks, was written and played for the family there. You'll hear Davies relate the history of the "green amp", his and brother Dave's first amplifier, and how it played a part in their earliest musical experiences. The formation of The Kinks is described, as well as their earliest gigs and their first break by meeting "the man who knew a man". Interspersed in all this dialogue is some political commentary highlighted by an acoustic version of Victoria, and some social observations capped off by nice versions of London Song and 20th Century Man. That Davies good humor is always present, particularly in his dialogue about the "art school babe".

Musically, this album is impeccable--the live performances, which are acoustic for the most part, offer an interesting spin on several tunes by The Kinks that heretofore only had electric interpretations. See My Friends, Tired Of Waiting, and Set Me Free (done instrumentally), are classics by The Kinks that are presented here in a totally charming way. Davies' performance of You Really Got Me still has all that old primal energy, despite being in a stripped down mode, while Victoria and London Song feature Davies at his acoustic best.

The musical highlight of this performance is his interpretation of That Old Black Magic--to hear this great musician who was so influenced by rockabilly and the London mod sound do a timeless classic that at first blush wouldn't appear to be his "cup of tea" is worth the price of this album by itself.

As I said earlier, this is a difficult album to review, I guess because it's just one big seamless performance. I'm trying to tell you that if you want to be entertained by a rock 'n roll legend in an informal, intimate setting, you need to pick up a copy of The Storyteller. Davies weaves a fine spell, and I find myself returning to listen to this album time and time again.

Prepare to be entertained.

Thanks for reading.