The first song and title track of The Pretenders' 11th studio album "Hate For Sale" has a false start. The drums kick in, guitars explode, a voice shouts, and then it all stops before kicking into high gear. Unintentionally, this false start is indicative of the band's earlier years: Forming in the late 70's with two knock-out albums before being halted by the deaths of guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon. Then again, with the recording and release of the album itself, a worldwide tour planned with "Don't Stop Believing" creators: Journey cut down by the sudden and unexpected rise of COVID and the album's release being transformed from a return to form to more of a welcome break to the monotony of the world and lastly indicative of the not-too-perfect spirit of the band. Never necessarily sloppy but almost certainly never perfectly crafted.
"Hate For Sale" is flawed, as its opening seconds prove, but it's those flaws that make the Pretenders a band that stands head and shoulders over their contemporaries. The album is the first to feature the (at the time) current touring band on the album itself. Throwing away the previous album, "Alone"s grab bag of musicians for the ever-reliable structure of the "Pretenders". Of course, Chrissie Hynde returns as vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, the only constant in the Pretenders these days but probably one of the most consistent constants to exist in rock music history. James Walbourne is our next most constant member, playing with the band since 2008 and joining Hynde and Co. on every tour since. He returns as lead guitarist and adds co-writer to all songs on the album. Nick Wilkinson as bassist is back, and last but certainly not least, Martin Chambers is back on recording for the first time since 2003's "Loose Screw" Though he'd been constant touring drummer since 1994, only missing out on Hynde's solo album tour "Stockholm."
Immediately, the difference in having the touring band play on the album is clear. Taking account of some funny technicalities, this is the first album that the touring band the Pretenders has played on an album since their second album, "Pretenders II," and it is stark. Whereas there's nothing wrong with "Alone," "Hate For Sale" immediately digs in and takes its listening for a ride. The title track is a return to form and showcases that not only is Hynde a tried and true rocker, but she sounds best when she's working with a defined form of the Pretenders.
James Walbourne's writing skills are clearly at play, with "Hate For Sale" sounding like a more mature and sharp version of the album "Cancel The Sun," tho which He co-wrote and recorded with his wife Kami Thompson under their band name "The Rails." Slick and clever but also able to find a pop melody that makes it easy and infectious to sing, Walbourne is probably the most underrated artist in music right now. Not only is he a fantastic writer, but he is a bonafide guitar god. Hate For Sale blasts its way as an opening. Hynde snarling and cooing, "Money in the bank and coke in his pocket, porn all day, he wanks like a rocket," while Chambers beats the rhythm forward, and Walbourne sets the background ablaze.
The Buzz follows, a slower song that immediately brings to mind the sensibilities of the original Pretenders pop hit "Kid." Hynde is never light on emotion in her songs. If she's singing it, you're going to hear the intended yearning through sublime vocals and lyrics that pop.
Lightning Man is a tribute to the late Richard Swift, who played drums on the previous Pretenders album. A reggae/dub song that is territory that Hynde has branched into before with solo projects but hasn't pushed the Pretenders deep into, and as usual, it all works. It's infectious and groovy, Reggae not being unfamiliar from the band, with their first two albums having a song each in the category and "Loose Screw" being heavily centered. Hynde's attention to the character of a song makes its chorus: "The demons got the better of you (better of you), that's what demons do (demons do)/ but demons can't destroy you (can't destroy you) nothing can/destroy the soul or rise above the lightning of a music man" snappy and confident.
Turf Account Daddy is a rollicking guitar-heavy powerhouse that echoes back to the sound of the first two Pretenders albums. Mid-tempo to keep the cool but overdriven by guitars and Hynde's sensual croon telling a tale as if conjuring a magic spell. Captivating from its first word to its last.
You Can't Hurt A Fool is arguably the best song on the album and maybe one of the best Pretenders songs ever. A Motown-inspired ballad that sees Hynde reaffirm that she has one of the most expressive and talented voices in the business. Its lyrics are sharp but simple enough to follow, and songs like these that show the collaboration between Walbourne and Hynde are a superior product to them working separately. It is the stuff that dreams are made of. Artists always wish to find another who can push them beyond their limits and produce something better than the sum of their parts, and this pair has it in spades.
I Didn't Know When To Stop could be called a show-off if it wasn't so good. Hynde dips into her experience with painting to create a fast-paced rocker that has her wailing on harmonica, Walbourne melting on guitar, Wilkinson pumping on bass, and Chambers with a take-no-prisoner performance on the drums.
Maybe Love Is in NYC once again shows that Pretenders are not one thing or another. You come to rock, roll, croon, and all things in between.
Junkie Walk is fashioned to be that sing-along song at concerts with a single-minded riff that's repetitiveness drives home its ultimate message: "Every Junkie has to die"
I Didn't Want To Be This Lonely follows an old Pretenders trope of pulling out a Bo-Diddly beat and doesn't take long to convince you to get up and dance.
Finishing out is the piano/ballad piece of "Crying in Public," which follows Hynde through an emotional journey of being a woman falling to pieces. "Feminists say that we're all the same/But I don't know a man who felt the same shame," Hynde moans into the mic. Cheeky even in her moments of vulnerability.
In the end, "Hate For Sale" puts to rest some theories. The Pretenders are and will always be a premiere rock act, and the band is at its strongest when they make a band album rather than a session player album. Hynde's talents bleed beyond the studio but also in her ability to recognize talent in others and bring out their best to, in turn, bring out hers.
The biggest compliment I can give this album is also the truest comment I can make of it. This is the closest and most deserving form of getting a Pretenders III. It sits amongst the first two albums with the same weight and talent, and that isn't anything to scoff at.
My Verdict: 10/10
Comments