It took Ray Davies five decades to start his solo career but when he did he showed up fully charged. 2006’s Other People’s Lives proved the Kinks leader was back at full compositional power and the 2008 follow-up, Working Man’s Café, continues the streak with songs imbued with the sentiment and social critiquing that made his works from “A Well Respected Man” to Face to Face and Village Green Preservation Society such compelling listening. Davies has always had an ‘everyman’s’ touch since he often sounds confused by the “progress” around him. He finds himself typing away at an Internet café and he isn’t sure if it’s a good thing — just as he skeptically views “globalization” during “Vietnam Cowboys” as uniting people while simultaneously homogenizing culture. “You’re Asking Me” outright admits his befuddlement at having his opinion counted on by so many people he’s never met. But when you’re blessed with such strong melodic gifts — check the pure pop of “In A Moment” and the sundown sadness of “Real World,” for starters — it’s no wonder people stop to listen.