Ray Davies

Ray Davies, one of rock and roll's most successful and influential songwriters, releases his eagerly anticipated solo album Other People's Lives on V2 Records, February 7, 2006. Written, produced and arranged by Ray, the LP features 13 stunning new songs recorded in Konk Studios, London.

The new and long-awaited LP is Ray's first official solo album and is a veritable masterclass in songwriting. "The first words on the album are 'Things are gonna change, this is the morning after.' This indicates that I'm going to do things differently from now on," says Ray.

Much of the inspiration for the album comes from Ray's experiences of living in New Orleans, where he found both emotional and physical sanctuary. "I found I fitted in somewhere for the first time since I left Muswell Hill," he comments.

"The first thing I did (with the album) was to make demo recordings of everything I had written or half-finished and not released," he says. "Every album I'd recorded with The Kinks, the material was written as I recorded it, I had no time to think about the songs until I found myself on tour performing them."

Combining Ray's distinctive vocals with astutely observed lyrics, the new album brims effervescently with Ray's heady, unmistakable style and talent. Each song is a gem both lyrically and musically and tells the influence, journey and direction of Ray's creative process. The full tracklisting is:

"In this song the character's singing about making changes like most drunks promise after a long night. In my case this particular 'hangover' was more to do with life and career change," says Ray.

Recorded December 17th 2002. One of the older songs on the record, its conception began while Ray was still in The Kinks.

Recorded July 12th 2002. "Generally, I look at the world and observe characters from it. Well Respected Men, Dedicated Followers and people like Terry and Julie. These songs are about other people's lives."

Recorded March 19th 2002. This song refers to people who have come and gone in Ray's life. It is a combination of all his break-ups, good and bad.

"This is probably sung by the man who received the letter in the last track," muses Ray. "There are two sides to every story."

Recorded January 23rd 2003. The arrangement of this song is lifted from a previous home demo. Lyrically, it focuses on a man's escape from himself.

Recorded February 4th 2003. Rooted in Ray's American experience of New Orleans, 'The Tourist' is a new direction for Ray's quintessential British songwriting. It also the title track of the highly collectible EP of the same name, released in the UK this summer.

Recorded June 18th. It is a reflective, introspective song about life and positivity. The verse "just because all of the plumbing, isn't what it used to be" is dedicated to The Kink's drummer Mick Avory.

Recorded December 19th 2002. Written on his first trip to New Orleans, the mood of the song is taken directly from the tone of the city.

Recorded July 11th 2003. Tinged with Spanish flamenco guitar, this non-autobiographical song is a tongue-in-cheek story of ill-fated lovers and the media.

Recorded March 19th 2002. "Sometimes when I am trying to introduce new material, I feel like a stand-up comedian in a room full of lager louts," admits Ray. "This demon will not go away."

Recorded April 9th 2002. By this track, the story of the songs has completed a full revolution. It is a resolve ? an acceptance of the way things are and seeing life in perspective.

Recorded November 7th 2003. "After recording my first batch of demos for my solo album, I visited the U.S in 1999 and started writing more songs for the project," Ray says. "In the song 'Papa looks over at the small gathering' and wonders how many of the children are going to make it for the dinner. During the story, we see how one by one, they try to make it home. The Thanksgiving Day holiday was originally 'a day of unity' and it occurred to me that it might be an idea for Great Britain to adopt a similar day."