Dave Davies – I Will Be Me
Cleopatra Records
http://cleorecs.com/store/shop/dave-davies-i-will-be-me/

Rating: B-

Dave Davies has had an amazing career.  He basically invented the hard rock sound when he took a razor blade and sliced up that little green amp that he sings about in the song “Little Green Amp” from his newest release I Will Be Me. 

Despite being a true rock and roll innovator, Dave often lived in the shadow of his brother Ray, the main songwriter and vocalist of the Kinks.  It was Dave who made the band rock, but Ray possessed a true gift that allowed his words to be related to by nearly everyone who hears them. 

Where he is outgoing, Dave is reserved.  Where he is the life of the party, Dave stands in the shadows.  While he is comfortable in his place in life Dave is constantly searching the cosmos for a better spiritual understanding of why we’re here and what this is all about. 

While Dave and Ray may be brothers, they are very different.  With the Kinks, Dave got a few tunes on the albums but his creative songwriting has largely been relegated to his solo efforts. 

Dave is not a pop writer, but rather an introspective human being who writes about his life, his thoughts and his feelings. 

He tackles many subjects of humanity on his new CD, as can be heard on the songs “Erotic Neurotic,” “Livin’ in the Past” and “Walk Through the Worlds” yet he also taps into more universal emotions with “The Healing Boy,” “Energy Fields” and “You Can Break My Heart.” 

The music is good on this effort, not great, but good…solid.  Dave’s voice, for lack of a better description sounds like brother Ray with a cold, which takes some getting used to, but also gives album a unique sound. 

There are also many guest appearances on the album from The Jayhawks, Anti-Flag, award winning UK blues guitarist Oli Brown, Chris Spedding, US stoner rock band Dead Meadow and the Art. 

All in all, this one is as eclectic as Dave Davies is electric.  Sometimes it is damn brilliant, as in “Little Green Amp” yet other times it makes one wonder just where he is coming from.  The album is like a strong cup of coffee; at first you may back up and go, “Whoa” but after a few more sips you appreciate the strong flavor. 

Like the title says, Dave is not out to be anyone other than who he truly is...which is pretty cool.

By Jeb Wright