The PretendersRock’s great iconoclast, Neil Young, perfectly summed up what we all know about Chrissie Hynde: “She’s a rock & roll woman. She’s got it in her heart. She’s gonna be rocking till she drops.” The truth of that statement is right here in the grooves of the Pretenders’ latest release, Break Up The Concrete, the second album to bear the Pretenders nameplate in a decade. That makes the arrival of any new Pretenders album something of an occasion and even an outright celebration. No guest artists, no vanity duets, just five shit-hot players getting down to business. None of the musicians who comprise this set of Pretenders has recorded with Hynde before - but they take to her songs like they've been waiting all their lives for this moment. Legendary drummer Jim Keltner needs no introduction, joined by guitarist James Walbourne (The Pernice Brothers), Eric Heywood (Son Volt) on pedal steel and rounded out by the longest-tenured Pretender on bass, Nick Wilkinson. “I met Jim when we toured with Neil Young and dreamed of working with him ever since,” says Hynde. “Martin Chambers is the world’s most entertaining rock drummer that’s for sure, but Keltner is an alchemist, a magician. I wanted a different groove on this album and Martin had no problem letting Jim take over for the project. Although Martin will be with us when we go on the road.” Since forming the Pretenders three decades ago, Hynde has proven to be a one-of-a-kind tough-minded, outspoken and utterly uncompromising artist. Yet she’s also capable of moments of heart-wrenching tenderness. On Break Up the Concrete, Hynde brings the trademark cool and much of the heat of the early Pretenders albums to a richly American setting. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to stay informed about Farm Aid's activities, the annual concert, and current food and farm issues. |
