With a back catalogue spanning more than 40 years and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Pretenders founder Chrissie Hynde’s devotion to the rock cause is unprecedented.
Now the 67-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist has dropped a second solo album... of jazz covers. Recorded with the Valve Bone Woe Ensemble, it oozes with romance and Hynde brings a new sensuality to 20th-century gems from the likes of Frank Sinatra and John Coltrane.
As one would hope from the ambitious track list, the album delivers on big brass sounds and elegant strings. It’s pleasing to the ear but aside from cool renditions of The Beach Boys’ Caroline, No and The Kinks track No Return, it lacks a standout moment.
A cover album is risky business for any musician, and in this case, Hynde’s versions are a little hit-and-miss. Lacking the soul of the song’s predecessors, the record teeters near the background noise bracket of hotel foyers and low-lit restaurants.
As a jazz record it delivers what’s promised — but as a covers album it lacks imagination.
