- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Entertainment WeeklyDavies has lost little of his ability to marry great rock melodies to exquisitely offbeat lyrics. [24 Feb 2006, p.61]
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These are great pop songs put across in fantastic performances.
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His lyrics remain slightly twisted, the music is uniformly dark and the singer's still a little freaky.
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It's proof that while many try to emulate him, there's no substitute for the crankiest, funniest songwriter in pop.
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Reverberate[s] with the wistfulness and introspection that have forever been his trademark.
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Alternative PressDavies' tone has the ironic air of a cockney calypso, while the music anchors his musings in familiar surroundings. [Mar 2006, p.88]
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The most apt comparison would be Dylan's more recent comeback albums; if not quite the masterpiece of Love and Theft, it beats the hell out of anything McCartney, Jagger or Simon have put out in the last fifteen years.
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FilterThe songwriting recalls Davies' Misfits days, which wouldn't be a snipe if he hadn't penned so many masterpieces with the Kinks. [#19, p.92]
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BillboardDavies' first solo studio collection has all the tasty ingredients that epitomized the Kinks--primarily Davies' knowing lyrics and world-weary vocals. [25 Feb 2006]
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Rolling StoneIt is a cocky, winning performance by a singer-songwriter who, on this album, for the first time in his rock & roll life, is truly on his own. [23 Feb 2006, p.61]
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Blender[An] assured and surprising record. [Mar 2006, p.110]
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MojoAt moments Other People's Lives sounds weird and forced, but it's never less than fascinating and it's frequently sublime. [Feb 2006, p.93]
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Other People’s Lives is a record to get lost in, especially for those who can close their eyes and trust a sly old cuss to bring them back.
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At times Davies matures backward, trading the Kinks' tergiversating sophistication for rash generalization.
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An album that delights as much as it disappoints, leaving the listener not celebrating the rebirth of one of England's greatest songwriters, but slightly confused.
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Under The Radar[The] glossy, over-the-top production style... detracts from the beauty and wit of the songs themselves. [#12, p.90]
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Q MagazineIf none are the kind of songs likely to be remembered with misty-eyed affection in another 40 years, they at least entertainingly tackle matters few others would. [Mar 2006, p.104]
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Sounds too much like a man chasing trends.
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The biggest flaw with Other People’s Lives is that the songs play to Davies’ weaknesses rather than his strengths, coupled with overproduction that veils any remaining virtue under a gauzy blanket of unnecessary studio witchcraft.
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Uniformly mediocre.... It leads one to assume he's either lost the ability to discern the padding from the profound or he just didn't give a shit.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 32 out of 35
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Mixed: 1 out of 35
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Negative: 2 out of 35
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JimMar 21, 2007Ray is the man! Superb album!!
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LanceSJan 3, 2007
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HouseMay 22, 2006