Up next on the chopping block is a band that I would say is pretty influential. They were pretty big in the 80’s and that band is The Pretenders. Now I’ve pretty much only heard their hits so with that, let’s take a look……….
Pretenders- tell me this is probably their most accessible album. This is after all the album that gave us hits like Brass In Pocket and Kid. To me it’s very punk meet new wave and I can definitely see why it’s considered a classic album. Again, another example of what more can I say about this record? I’m absolutely giving this 10/10.
Standouts: Precious, The Wait, Mystery Achievement
Pretenders II- I feel like this one’s maybe not as upbeat as the first album, but however, you look at it. It’s still a very good second album. Personally, if I had my choice between the first or the second album, I would take the former. It’s not that I don’t like this album. I just don’t think the songs are maybe as catchy or memorable but as I said, it’s a good album. I’ll give this 9/10.
Standouts: The Adultress, Pack It Up, Jealous Dogs
Learning To Crawl- if you ask me what the most accessible album is, I would probably say this one or the first one. Like what I think of this band, this is probably the album that comes to mind. An interesting fact is the record title came from Christy‘s infant daughter learning to crawl. How are you feel about this album one cannot deny that it is an absolute classic and I am giving it 9.5/10
Standouts: Middle Of The Road, My City Was Gone, I Hurt You
Get Close- I guess this would be considered another classic or another fan favorite and for good reason. This is the album that gave us the hit song “Don’t Get Me Wrong.” Aside from that standout song the rest of the album is quite good and it feels very much like another one of those definitive Pretenders albums. The only thing I will say is that as a whole, it does sound a little on the dated side. I’m giving this album 9/10.
Standouts: Dance, Chill Factor, Light Of The Moon
Packed!- aside from Chrissy and drummer Blair Cunningham, all the other musicians that played on this album are session players. I just think that’s an interesting fact and this sort of feels like a Chrissy solo album. It’s not a bad album by any means, but it is on the slower side so if you’re looking for something kind of more mellow, this would probably be the album for you. I could honestly see myself listening to this before going to bed but either way it’s kind of forgettable. I’m gonna give it 5/10
Standouts:
Last Of The Independents- overall I would say his album isn’t bad. It just seems a little on the uneven side. It is a little bit better from the last album, but I feel like it’s one of those that is either hit or miss. I’m gonna give it 6/10.
Standouts: 977, Night In My Veins
Viva El Amor- i’m starting to notice a trend with these albums, and that is wash, rinse, repeat. The songwriting is fine but it doesn’t really seem to sound that different from the previous album. Not a bad album just not very memorable. I’ll give it 6/10.
Standouts: Nails In The Road, Legalise Me
Loose Screw- compared to the last few albums, this one has more of a pop feel. I did read that this album is the first with an actual credited lineup whereas previous albums had session players so maybe that had something to do with it. I’ll give this one 7/10
Standouts: Time, Fools Must Die, Kinda Nice I Like It
Break Up The Concrete- to me this album would’ve worked better as an EP. There’s some really great songs and then there’s a lot of filler. Again, they seem to fall into this sort of wash, rinse and repeat kind of habit. It doesn’t make for a bad album. It just makes for kind of a boring album. I’ll give this one, 6.5/10.
Standouts: Don’t Lose Faith In Me, The Last Ride
Alone- I actually enjoyed this album a lot more than I would’ve thought. It’s got sort of a blues meets R&B meets rock sound. It’s not a throwback album by any means, but it definitely feels refreshing. Interesting fact is that this album was produced by Dan Auerbach (vocals and guitar for The Black Keys). I also did Red that Chrissy was having respiratory problems during the production and recorded her vocals within two days of the albums completion. I’m gonna give this album 8/10.
Standouts: Alone, Holy Commotion, Let’s Get Lost
Hate For Sale- this one is definitely more of a throwback kind of album. By that I mean, it’s kind of got that hard rock/punk sound that was present on the earlier albums. It’s not a complete throwback but you can tell that they wanted to go in a hard rock direction and this one feels refreshing. I’m giving it 9/10
Standouts: Hate For Sale, Junkie Walk, Turf Account Daddy
Relentless- I feel like this album is one of those albums that has a little bit of something for everyone. It’s sort of encompasses most of what they’ve done in the past, but it doesn’t really get boring. Would I have liked them to continue where they left off with the previous album? Yes personally I would’ve but this one isn’t a bad follow up. I’ll give it 7.5/10.
Standouts: Let The Sun Come In, Vainglorious, Just Let It Go
Regardless of the fact that most of their albums have session musicians, one cannot deny the impact that this band has had. Chrissie Hynde has one of those powerful and unique voices that absolutely makes her an eye icon. Now while a lot of their albums are kind of the same their earlier works, and some of their newer albums are great and are considered classics for a reason. I’m curious to see how their next album will be or if they even decide to make a new album. This is the band that I definitely wouldn’t mind going to see live because from the YouTube clips, I’ve seen she still sounds great.
Final Grade: B
Album Rankings:
- Pretenders
- Learning To Crawl
- Pretenders II
- Get Close
- Hate For Sale
- Alone
- Relentless
- Loose Screw
- Break Up The Concrete
- Last Of The Independents
- Viva El Amor
- Packed!
Sinister Reviews 