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 warmhearted “Next Door Neighbour” and “The Tourist” prove that his ability to chronicle the dreams and petty annoyances of otherwise unrepresented people remains undimmed.