Working Man's Cafe - Ray Davies
User Score
9.5 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15

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  1. KenM.
    Apr 5, 2008
    9
    A very strong effort from Ray. A notch above Other Peoples Lives, which I thought was quite good. I'm happy that old Ray still has his chops. Favorite cuts include Imaginary Man, No One Listen, In a Moment, and Voodoo Walk.
  2. RayL.
    Apr 23, 2008
    10
    What other singer/songwriter can produce such original material after a 40-year plus career. Each your collective hearts out, Rolling Stones.
  3. TonyB.
    Feb 22, 2008
    10
    This album will grow and grow on you.
  4. RonnyV.
    Feb 22, 2008
    10
    This is Ray at his best .
  5. RuneH.M.
    Feb 23, 2008
    10
    "Working Man's Café" is the best Davies album since "State Of Confusion" (by The Kinks) from 1983. One word is enough: excellent!
  6. DeanA.
    Feb 24, 2008
    10
    Ray's best material in years. He combines the 'classic Ray melodies' and ocassional lyrical revisits such as 'the world keeps going round' with solid rock riffs- 'Hymm For A New Age' and 'Peace In Our Time' His humor, observations and sarcasim are welcome-'Morphine Song' It's a pleasure to still have Ray Davies producing great music. He is one of a kind. We need a North America tour!!… Expand
  7. IgnacioD.
    Nov 22, 2008
    10
    A very compassionate, complex and interesting albums from the greatest songwriter in rock.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Amazon.com
    80
    Working Man's Cafe feels like exactly the album a 60-something rocker would craft--assured and direct yet searching and restless, a glimpse into the head of a man who's comfortable in his skin but still wonders how he fits into a world that seems to be turning faster and stranger as the years pass by.
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  2. Billboard
    80
    The net result is smart, personal and potent.
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  3. Blender
    60
    This album about the seamy, scary side of Bushland, conceived after Davies was shot in New Orleans in 2004, is a mixed bag of pointed personal reflection (Good Ray) and facile social critique (Bad Ray).
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