Davies' new rock working out the kinks

Ray Davies is a well-respected man in rock 'n' roll, so it was good to see him alive and well at 62, and still rocking hard.

The leader of the Kinks is touring behind his first solo album, "Other People's Lives," and about half of the 18 songs in the 100-minute set came from it. Davies and his slamming new four-man band, who created some intense, extended, wall-of-sound jams, also played Kinks songs, ranging from hits — "You Really Got Me," "All Day and All of the Night" — to lesser-knowns, like "A Long Way From Home" and "The Getaway (Lonesome Train)."

Davies is one of the top showmen in rock and its most famous raconteur, and he tried his best to rouse the fans who half-filled the Moore. He succeeded to an extent, inspiring some lusty singalongs, raising a few laughs with his stories and earning a couple of standing ovations from at least most of the crowd.

But the show hardly created the kind of excitement the Kinks used to generate, mostly because Davies' new songs were so surprisingly weak, even with punched-up arrangements from the young band. It was disconcerting to hear one of the greatest lyricists in rock use so many clichés without a hint of the satire, irony, cynicism, wit or style that characterize so many Kinks songs.

Review

Monday at the Moore Theatre, Seattle

The new tunes were mostly cautionary tales about the things old people worry about, like health and money problems, along with regretful, even paranoid, songs about friends and lovers. Davies pointed out that they were about "other people," but nevertheless they made you wonder about the state of his personal life.

He made reference to the famous incident two years ago in New Orleans, where he was shot in the leg while trying to catch a purse-snatcher who had victimized Davies' date. He revealed the gunshot wound was worse than reported at the time, because it became infected and threatened his life. He noted that his solo album had been completed at the time of the shooting, and that none of the songs related to it. He underscored his respect for the city by having Fats Domino's "Walking to New Orleans" played loud at the concert's conclusion, while Davies slapped hands and signed autographs for many of his faithful fans.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com