I've been listening to the new Ray Davies solo album Other People's Lives for about a week now. The first time I listened to it, I was completely underwhelmed--it seemed limp, somehow. I think I confused limp with reflective, though, and the more I've listened to it, the better it's gotten.
And the more confused I've gotten, because it sounds for all the world like Ray Davies is channeling Mark Knopfler. Not with his voice, but with the lyrics and the style of the songs. And that's fine--Ray Davies channeling Mark Knopfler sounds pretty damn good to me. And there are a few songs on the CD that are just fantastic--Other People's Lives and Stand Up Comic, in particular, have totally irresistable hooks.
So if you're bored with what you're listening to lately, this is a thoughtful, wry piece of music.