Look at the Wikipedia entry for Dave Davies, and it says he is ranked 88th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. Aside from the fact that “All Time” lists make little sense, it may be fair to say Dave Davies isn’t up there, as far as technical ability and sheer bravado, with Jimi Hendrix or Eddie Van Halen. However, you’ll get little argument when it comes to who’s influenced who. You might even get away with saying Eddie Van Halen wouldn’t have a career without Dave Davies, but that may be pushing it. It was, after all, Davies who punctuated the airwaves back in 1964 with that immortal riff driving the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me.” Almost 50 years later, I Will Be Me, Davies’ sixth solo album, is here to reassert the guitarist’s role as an influential singer, songwriter and first-rate rocker.
With a little help from the Jayhawks, Anti-Flag, Oli Brown, Chris Spedding, Dead Meadow and a bunch of others, Davies aims to cover a lot of ground over the course of this 13-song disc. Right out the gate, the guitars snarl and whip up the melody for “Little Green Amp” as Davies reminisces about slicing up his amp and inadvertently inventing distortion for the epic recording of “You Really Got Me.” The crunching power chords continue, albeit at a more measured pace, on songs like “Livin’ In The Past,” “In the Mainframe,” “Erotic Neurotic” and the biting final track, “Cote Du Rhone (I Will Be Me).” It comes as no surprise that Davies’ penchant for melody, arrangement, lyrics, and a yearning, British vocal style extends beyond the distortion.
“The Healing Boy” is a wistful and thoughtful track, highlighted by Davies’ soft and assuring vocal and given an exotic flavor by Jonathan Lea’s sitar. “Midnight In L.A.,” a mid-tempo romp with a very Kinks-like kick and even blaring sirens (?), could be a surefire hit if radio played songs by artists like Dave Davies. “When I First Saw You” is another slower number, featuring Cleopatra labelmate Bulgarian blues singer Geri X. Things start off a little tense, achingly so, on “You Can Break My Heart,” before it explodes into one of the most infectious songs on the record.
“Walker Through The Worlds” is Davies in full Star Trek mode, boldly going where even brother Ray has not gone before. Remarkably, “Remember The Future” takes a simpler path, once again capturing Davies’ innate ability to craft a beautiful melody and build a powerful song. That’s really what’s at the core of I Will Be Me — that despite health issues and virtual abandonment of reorganizing the Kinks, Davies is first and foremost a full-bodied musician, still capable of making a sound that is truly all his own. To that end, I Will Be Me successfully honors Dave Davies’ roots, as well as his enduring creativity.
~ Shawn Perry
