Ray Davies

See My Friends
★★★1/2
Decca

The highlight of this collaborative set is ”˜Days/This Time Tomorrow,’ a medley of Kinks classics. Done pub-chorale-style with banjo and upright piano, it pairs Ray Davies with Mumford & Sons, tipsy folk rockers who share with Davies a profound Englishness. For every dud (the world needs no more ”˜You Really Got Me’ covers), there are three gems (Spoon’s title cut, Jackson Browne’s ”˜Waterloo Sunset,’ Black Francis’ ”˜This Is Where I Belong’). Most, go figure, are with Americans, and none are more poignant than the late Alex Chilton singing ”˜’Til the End of the Day.’ But Davies’ songbook is so deep, this could be a box set.

Key Tracks: ”˜Waterloo Sunset,’ ”˜See My Friends’