Ray Davies recently released a new memoir titled Americana: The Kinks, The Riff, The Road: The Story, in which he discusses his love-hate relationship with the United States. Throughout the book, the legendary rocker intersperses lyrics from a wide variety of songs he's written, including many that he's never recorded or released. Now, Davies reveals that those unheard tunes will form the basis for a brand-new studio album he's planning to make.
"I'm happy to say that I'm going to start recording those [songs] as a sort of soundtrack to the book," he tells ABC News Radio.
The 69-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer notes that Americana contains "22 new song references…and lots of the new lyrics start the chapters," explaining that he wrote a lot of the material in early 2004 while he was convalescing in New Orleans after getting shot in the leg by a mugger.
"The songs formed this kind of diary while I was recovering in the hospital and the post-hospital in New Orleans, 'cause I wasn't allowed to travel for many weeks," he notes. "So, they act as a subtext to the story."
Meanwhile, Ray's future plans also may include some kind of reunion project with his brother, guitaristDave Davies, which would mark the first time the founding Kinks band mates have worked together since the group stopped touring in 1996.
"Dave has expressed a desire to work with me again," he tells ABC News Radio, adding that he has mixed feelings regarding the idea.
"I toured with 'Storyteller,' my solo show, for like five or six years and I've made three or four solo albums, and I was once free of it and I thought, 'There's no way we can work together again,'" he admits. "But then I was walking down the street the other day and I thought to myself, 'You know, I could write Dave a great song.'"
Ray maintains that he'd only consider doing a Kinks reunion if it involves new material.
"My answer is 'no' if we're just going to go out and play the oldies, 'maybe' if we can make good new music as well," he insists. "Because to me, that's been the constant in my career. I must write something new, something fresh, because…as long as I'm alive, I'm living in the present world and I want to be inspired by it and resonate the world I live in."
That being said, Ray admits that collaborating with his brother is something that still appeals to him.
"I like writing for his voice and I like writing for his guitar sound," he says. "So, even if I just do the soundtrack to Americana, there are some tracks I'd love Dave play on. So, we'll start from there and see how it works." (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)
