He’s also been applauded for his insightful social commentary—but he’s no Bob Dylan.  His strengths are that he’s usually fun to listen to and he often brings a unique, quirky point of view. Critics have a tendency to over-analyze his lyrics, looking for brilliance.   I say, relax, listen to the record as a whole and giggle.  After enjoying Ray and the Kinks for decades, I think that’s the best way.  If you’re unfamiliar with the Kinks, you might want to listen to the Kink Kronikles as an introduction to Ray’s writing.  Longtime fans will find moments to smile, however, from Other People’s Lives.   Boundary County by Eilen Jewell—Keep an ear out for this young, soulful-eyed woman, originally from Idaho but now residing in the Boston area.  The Narrows Center for the Arts has had her and her band open for several acts and the buzz she caused damn near upstaged the headliner.  Eilen (same sound as feelin’) specializes in slow to mid-tempo original tunes that mix country, blues and folk into a tasty stew heated by her lazy, sultry vocals that wrap around you like 2 a.m.  The problem is that every song on this CD has pretty much the same sound, which might be comforting if you’re trying to shake off a hangover, but can get draggy for those of us wide awake.  That said, she’s got a great voice that deserves to get a workout in some up-tempo numbers.  Not a bad songwriter either, who gets angry with President Bush in her song The Flood: “Can anyone among you please explain/What went down on the banks of the Ponchartrain/It’s you our leader who’s to blame/You lay sweet New Orleans out to waste.”  Check out her touring schedule, which, at this point, is nearly confined to the Northeast, though she’s playing some dates in Idaho and North Carolina.