10 Chrissie Hynde

Standing In The Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan

BMG, 2021

You say: “Always a brilliant interpreter of other people’s material, Chrissie tackles the songbook of the great master.” Kieran Heneghan, via mojo4music.com

Inspired by Bob Dylan’s 2020 release of Murder Most Foul, Chrissie Hynde and Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne embarked upon the Dylan Lockdown Series project, releasing home-recorded versions of her favourite Bob tunes, including previously unloved compositions such as In The Summertime from Shot Of Love. Elsewhere she lent that voice to a truly haunting Blind Willie McTell, explored the spiritual dimensions of Every Grain Of Sand, and made You’re A Big Girl Now sound like a note-to-self.

9 Pretenders

Hate For Sale

BMG, 2020

You say: “The start of the Pretenders’ creative renaissance… it rocks as hard as any of the early albums.” Dave Tomlinson, via mojo4music.com

The LP that bridged the Pretenders’ past and future: the last (to date, at least) with drummer Martin Chambers and the first co-written with James Walbourne. The superfuzzy title track paid homage to The Damned, and The White Stripes-ish Junkie Walk took a tongue-in-cheek, blackly humorous attitude to an anti-hard drugs message. But there were also joyful indications that the Hynde/Walbourne partnership could produce top-drawer songs that could match anything ever released under the band’s name: including the Kid-like chiming glory of The Buzz, the slow-burning soul of You Can’t Hurt A Fool and gum-chewing glam stomper Turf Accountant Daddy.