As suggested by the title "Americana", the former Kinks frontman is a cultural and musical paradox. The most emphatically English of all the British Invasion bandleaders, Britpop’s beloved father argues throughout his new album (and 2013 autobiography by the same name) that he spent much of his band’s 32-year career chasing the American Dream. The Kinks legend uses Americana to blaze a path through both America's rock’n’roll history and his own. Its back-to-basics energy and prosaic storytelling make it his best solo album in years.

The fourth in the series of albums celebrating rock's greatest icons. Following the success of Jem Records Celebrates John Lennon, Brian Wilson, and Pete Townshend, Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies is a tribute to one of England's greatest tunesmiths Including performances by The Weeklings, The Grip Weeds, Nick Piunti, The Anderson Council, The Cynz, and many more, it's one great cover version after another, showing the prowess of each artist playing a song written by The Kink's Ray Davies.

Two great albums from Ray "funky trumpet" Davies – not the lead singer of The Kinks, but a heck of a groovy British bandleader from the 70s! First up is an album of Themes From The Exorcist and other films – all familiar movie themes from the early 70s, penned by artists like Michel Legrand and Lalo Schifrin – but served up here by Ray's Button Down Brass in a very cool style – compressed funk, ala the best crime/cop modes of the time – but with lots of individual touches that make the songs very different than the original versions.