This collection of Kinks classics done over as choral music under the watchful eye of head Kink Ray Davies is an odd, intriguing re-interpretation of music that was pretty much perfect the first time around. The Kinks may have suffered from lo-fi productions, but they made up for the lack of polish with a blistering attack. Here, “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night” sound a bit out of context with a proper choir. Drums and guitars still fuel the center, but the added vocalists make it sound like a hip church choir trying to break from their stodgy past. The choir even attempt to swing with “Victoria.” “See My Friends” actually succeeds as a slow moving gospel tune. Better served: the lush melodicism of “Waterloo Sunset,” the Hollywood star cataloguing of “Celluloid Heroes” and the community singalong of “Village Green,” where the tunes are nicely recast in a grander setting. In the end, it’s a quirky concept, most likely to appeal to people already well versed in Davies’ deep and deserving catalog.
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