Chrissie Hynde is the 62 year old former front woman of the legendary band The Pretenders. She has been one of the few woman rockers who have not tit flashed or crotch grabbed her way to a large bank account. Never resting on her sexuality (as she often appears asexual) her strength has been her voice and her outstanding lyric work.
The Pretenders lost 50% of their band to drugs. That’s a heavy cut and while Hynde and drummer Martin Chambers attempted to carry on the dynamic was gone. Void of any sex appeal whatsoever it just didn’t have that thigh tremble anymore and the case was closed.
She has come back in other formation the most recent being JP Chrissie and The Fairground Boys, which (lets be honest here) sucked. The dynamic was gone and the sound fell flat. Close that venture as well.
So now whats up? On June 9th, Chrissie will release her first solo album titled “Stockholm”. I consider myself a massive Hynde fan and even I am not excited for its arrival. The fear of the unknown is what is hazing this news. Chrissie can go two ways with her music the borderline vigilante lesbian warrior or the biker babe with a brain. At her age both seem some what contrived and strained.
The single “Dark Glasses” does not have me drooling for more. Melody and chorus are generic at best and the only redemption is that Chrissie has returned to her throaty voice, most likely out of comfort and stamina restraints. Her sound does prove the old cliche of you can never go home again. There will never be another ‘Tattooed Love Boys” nor should there be but there has to be some sort of evident growth or evolution when you’ve been around for this long and my concern is that she will return to that same old formula. The problem again will be the same as when she lost Pretenders James Honeyman Scott and Pete Farndon, their energetic and charismatic presence offered a diversion from the more stiff Hynde and invisible Chambers.
I predict a mediocre tour to accompany this mediocre release. I do hope I am proven wrong.
