***1/2 The Kinks

TO THE BONE

(Guardian)

Given that Ray Davies is touring successfully without his bandmates, and that their last three albums have been lackluster, the Kinks appeared to be a dead issue. But this terrific two-CD set -- combining the recent import of the same name with another disc's worth of rearranged oldies and two new songs -- shows it's not time to close the book on them just yet. Not really an "unplugged" album, it just replaces the arena rock of recent years with a semi-acoustic band sound that's a lot closer to their mid-'60s glory days.

Material covers a lot of the usual chestnuts, but in revitalized form. "Celluloid Heroes" and "Come Dancing" benefit from the lack of cheesy keyboards, and Kinks kultists will rejoice over three consecutive tracks (including a tough, better-than-the-original "Picture Book") from the kult-klassic Village Green Preservation Society. The US-only tracks bring Dave Davies's electric guitar and some of the arena bluster back into play, but there's also a punkish, stripped-down remake of "Set Me Free." The two new songs (title track and "Animal") were introduced in Ray's Mama Kin shows last fall. Both are low-key rockers with nostalgic, bittersweet lyrics -- and two solid new songs is two more than the Stones or the Who have come up with lately.

-- Brett Milano