Good Worth exploring
¡Viva El Amor!
WARNER BROS., 1999
The Pretenders’ seventh album benefits from being a more concerted band effort than their more recent releases. Hynde and fellow guitarist Adam Seymour add muscle to judicious and telling effect, with bassist Andy Hobson and the evergreen Martin Chambers combining as a nimble rhythm section. Not everything hits the mark, although Hynde is at her scabrous best on Popstar (featuring backing vocals and ad libs by the New York Dolls’ David Johansen) and the gnarly Baby’s Breath: ‘Why do you send me roses? Save them for someone’s death.’ And having Jeff Beck on board for rock‘n’roll banger Legalise Me can be no bad thing.