The Kinks have always been more 'English' than their contemporaries. In their perfect pop songs, the Davies brothers made room for characters who seemed to have walked out of a Charles Dickens novel. It should come as no big surprise that Kinks frontman Ray Davies is now recording his greatest hits with a chorus. After all, there are few countries where people enjoy singing in choir as much as in
… Great Britain. And how does that sound? You cannot escape comparing this CD with the original versions. This album sounds a lot better, but it is nice to hear that Ray Davies sings just as clearly as before. The Kinks Choral Collection has something unnatural about it and therefore something kitsch about it. Yet this collection can certainly be heard, because the CD exudes contagious pleasure, with the swinging Victoria as its highlight. The Kinks Choral Collection is a nice footnote to the impressive oeuvre of Ray Davies and The Kinks. (PdK)more