Ray Davies has a sharp eye for the romance of everyday life, both as songwriter in The Kinks and across his post-millennium solo projects. His winsome, descending melodies (such as the conversational verses in “The Deal”) are often set against spring-heeled country shuffles (“Vietnam Cowboys”) or churchy R&B licks (“Morphine Song”), giving his flinty English observations a transatlantic sense of nostalgia. The blunt but warm-hearted “Next Door Neighbour” and “The Tourist” prove that his ability to chronicle the dreams and petty annoyances of otherwise unrepresented people remains undimmed.