Alone (Pretenders) Review

(Image Credit: The Guardian)

In the list of Pretenders' albums "Alone" probably holds the title for most unique in its coming about. Coming off the heels of Chrissie Hynde's solo album "Stockholm" isn't really a Pretenders album but rather a solo album from Hynde with the band's name slapped acrossed it.

The only member of the Pretenders that plays on the album is Hynde herself. The backing band of musicians who assisted for "Stockholm" return with some of the songs being holdovers from "Stockholm" and others being newly recorded for this album.

The most notable other addition to the album is Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys who lends himself as producer and musician on some songs."Alone" isn't my favorite album of the Pretenders and I have strong reasons for it. Within it holds some very great songs with incredible potential and some songs that feel thrown together for the album. Hynde's voice never falters but there's a bit of a laid-back attitude to the album that resembles 1990's "Packed" in the worst ways. (Side note: I LOVE Packed and think it is one of the Pretenders' best but suffers from boring production and a lack of band cohesiveness)

The album's opening track is its title track "Alone" Hynde confidently talks through her days of solitude with a confident swagger. "Nobody tells me I can't/Nobody tells me I can't/No one to say 'you're doing it wrong'/ I'm at my best I'm where I belong/Alone"

The song feels perfect for Hynde with its too-cool-for-school rock sound. It's easy to imagine Hynde strolling down the street not a care in the world thinking about the boundless options of things she can do today without having to be tethered to another person. However, like with most songs on this album, the music is good but feels like its lacking a punch that previous Pretenders albums have always had. Gone are James Walbourne's guitar acrobatics and Martin Chambers' thunderous and unpredictable drums replaced with, certainly talented, less adventurous sounds that get the song across but without the pizazz we've come to know and love.

"Roadie Man" is fun, dripping with that R&B sound of a Smokey Robinson/Curtis Mayfield combination. Hynde always shows genre is not a blockage for her, she simply hets the music. Her vocals are impressive but also have such character that every song feels autobiographical and as if it's being sung directly to the person listening at that time. "Gotta Wait" is a fast rocker with drums that push forward without relenting. A garage rock sort of sound that offers some early exhilaration on the album but one wonders what Martin Chambers would have done on such a drum-heavy song. The song is meant to be played live, exciting on the album but some songs you can just hear are meant to be experienced live and this is one of the songs that made the tour for Alone shine.

"Never Be Together" is one of my favorites on the album. It's a pop song, with a pop vocal that is what singles are made of. A chord progression that feels satisfying to listen to for hours. Hynde's voice can do so much, on some songs a confident snarl on others a vulnerable tender croon that remains the height of melody. "Let's Get Lost" feels like the most traditional Pretenders song on the album. Dreamy and sentimental, every second of it paints a story that is easy to imagine from the instant it begins with the sound of a motorcycle taking off. "Chord Lord" is one I find myself coming to the most. Hynde's lyrics tell such a funny story when she wants to. Her being distinct from other musicians in that so much of her lyrics focus on herself as the loser in a situation. In a world of "look at me!" Hynde writes "Would you look at that?" with such cheeky perfection. The song ends with one of my favorite lyrics from Hynde, a resigned proclamation: "Sometimes/Do you ever get the feeling/Its all over?/Sometimes/Do you ever get the feeling?"

From here the album slows to a crawl, unfortunately.

"Blue Eyed Sky" and "The Man You Are" are in no way bad songs. They are tender ballads that most artist would suffer to wrtie and Hynde makes it sound easy but they're also pretty forgettable. It doesn't help that they are back to back on the album which brings the excitement to a halt.

"I Hate Myself" is next and is another slow song and probably suffers more from coming after "Bue Eyed Sky" and "The Man You Are" than from it being another ballad. It is Hynde at her best lyrically. Sandwhiched between the repetitve title are some of the most lyrically potent verses she's ever written.

"I hate myself/I hate myself/I hate myself/I guess I'm just too smart./I hate myself/I hate myself/I hate myself in body and in mind./ I hate myself/I hate myself/ I hate these perversions of the heart./ I hate myself in front/I hate myself from behind." Hynde skillfully weaves, she is like no other and no other is like her.

"One More Day" is pretty different sounding for Hynde but equally forgettable as the two earlier ballads but certainly fun the first time around for the novelty.

Finishing up the album is the wonderful "Holy Commotion". The song was the first single for the album and a deceptive one. Dan Auerbach lending this sound to the album was an exciting preview and I only wished that the album had more of these faster-paced fun pop songs. Might it have been out of place? Yes, sure but it would have been a swing for the bleachers that could have made the album really stick out from the rest of the band's discography. "Holy Commotion" just sounds fun, sounds like it was fun to record and definitely fun to listen to. "Alone" is a Chrissie Hynde solo album with the Pretenders marquee hastily thrown on top of it. "Stockholm" worked particularly because it wasn't a Pretenders album and whatever mistakes it made "Alone" does as well but has the added unfortunate feature of being mislabelled as a band album. Before the end of this review, it's worth mentioning that the tour for this album did feature the Pretenders: James Walbourne, Nick Wilkinson, and Martin Chambers, and live many of these songs get new and more electric life. The songs greatly benefit from having a cohesive band breathe life into them and push them to their limits. So the fault of "Alone" doesn't lie in its songs at all but in the production of the songs. It's a greatly written album with the sensibilities of Hynde...just without the backup talent she so masterfully curates. My Verdict: 7/10