Working Man's Cafe (2008)

RAY DAVIES Despite a few lyrical kinks, Working Man's Cafe serves up its share of fresh-sounding melodies

If, say, ''Waterloo Sunset'' contained silly lines like ''Corporations get the tax breaks/While the city gets the crime,'' would Ray Davies still be considered one of his generation's best songwriters? Based on this latest release, Working Man's Cafe, the answer might just be ''yes.'' The above mouthful from ''One More Time'' and other clunky social commentary can't mask a cache of Kinks-worthy melodies, including the aforementioned track, the gorgeous ''The Real World,'' and ''You're Asking Me,'' which could almost be a lost tune from the late '60s. B+
DOWNLOAD THIS: ''You're Asking Me''