Alex Lake/Stem AgencyRay Davies will release his latest solo, Americana, this Friday, April 7, and in advance of the record’s arrival, the ex-Kinks frontman has posted a promotional trailer at his official VEVO YouTube channel.
The video features Davies talking about the project, which was inspired by his 2013 memoir of the same name, as well as clips of several songs on the album and footage of him in the studio with his collaborators, U.S. alt-country band The Jayhawks.
“America, the land of ice cream and apple pie, guns and the Wild West,” the 72-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer comments in the short film, explaining his long fascination with the U.S. “America is such a vast country, such a big land mass. Americana is such a big story. The landscape is phenomenal. I’ve always been influenced by the big skies. I think about the big sky and all the problems in the world don’t seem to matter.”
Davies goes on to talk about how following The Kinks’ first U.S. trek, the group was banned from touring the States for years, but later toured the country “endlessly.”
He also explains that his fascination for America was sparked by watching Westerns and other American movies when he was a child, while noting that beyond cinematic heroes and villains, the country also gave the world the automobile and the shopping mall.
In addition, Ray talks about working with The Jayhawks on the album, noting, “Some of the music took them out of their comfort zone, but like all good bands they rose to the occasion.”
Davies adds, “This record is about my journey through America, and for the most part it’s turned out pretty good.”
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