The Pretenders - Viva el Amor!

Chrissie Hynde is back to kick some ass. ¡Viva el Amor!, the Pretenders' first studio album since 1994's Last of the Independents, provides a reading on the singer's state of mind and relationships. Hynde and company--stalwart drummer Martin Chambers and an assortment of complementary players--take the energy level to breathtaking heights, especially on "Legalise Me," which matches Jeff Beck's incendiary guitar work against our heroine's rapid-fire delivery. Hynde shows that she can still sneer with the best of them on "Popstar," her biting send-up of late-'90s girl singers (and reportedly a roman à clef aimed in part at Patsy Kensit, who was once married to Hynde's former husband, Simple Minds' Jim Kerr). "Baby's Breath" skewers a young lover and showcases her sangfroid vocals at their chilling best. Hynde pours on more vitriol in "Biker," the record's final cut, which pairs steel-hard lyrics with an incongruously sweet string section. Nearly two decades after the release of the Pretenders' landmark debut, the Great Pretender is still feeling feisty. --Jaan Uhelszki Amazon.com

Viva Los Pretenders

It's too bad the Pretenders aren't still tops of the pops, for this unheralded gem should rank with among their best work. It is certainly the most varied. Chrissie Hynde has always been great for mixing toughness and tenderness. Here she's no different. Her rock and pop sensibilities are certainly also intact.

Chrissie and company show more adeptness here than their fine work 'Last of the Independents'. Experience with the same players brings out the best in the helmswoman and her able band. Here they're power pop perfect on "Human" and "Baby's Breath". Yet, we get both sides of the Chrissie Hynde coin: The former shows her at her most vulnerable, and the latter demonstrates she's not one to be taken lightly. "Who's Who" meets both character traits with a delivery that's nearly pop/rock perfect and more pleasing. There's at least one song with an edginess not appearing anywhere else: "Dragway 42," which adapts alternative like the band invented it. The album almost could be defined as having a Pretenders' "wall of sound," but they don't have the complacency to become formula, either. "Do It One More Time" is a mixed moment. Besides being a hard rock song, it starts with torch nightclubbiness that even increases the eclecticism of this effort. It is substantial, even if Hynde's voice uncharacteristically falters in the refrain. Then, there are spare moments that are accentuated. "My Favorite Samurai" has much more than what the surface conveys (musically, anyway). "Biker," however, is a fine anthem finale that is as bottom line musically as it is lyrically. Thoughtful, like the lead songstress, it punctuates all the observations of the good and bad in a love life, then figures out an ideal to follow up on. If it doesn't seem varied and engaging by now, then "Pop Star" and the athletic "Legalise Me" should stand up as more than exercises in rock and roll longevity.

Maybe, "They don't make 'em like they used to..." as she sings on her acerbic "Pop Star," but for the lucky few who have stayed with The Pretenders have been rewarded by a continuing update of Hynde and Co. as they continue to give it to us straight. August 19, 2006

An excellent album

I've been listening to the Pretenders since the beginning. I still think their debut is on a different level from anything else they've recorded, but otherwise this is my favorite. After years of session musicians and changes in style, the Pretenders sound like a cohesive rock band again on this album. The songs are all good and some ("Popstar", "Legalize Me") are first rate. July 2, 2004

Their best since "Packed"

This CD is, like most later Pretenders material, both a treat and a disappointment. Some reviews here call it their best recording since "Learning to Crawl". I wouldn't go that far, but it is certainly their best since "Packed". The music may be more tightly played or better produced than anything since "Learning to Crawl", but it lacks the consistency of "Packed", both in quality and in its variety of musical styles. There seem to be divergent opinions here as to which songs are best, but a loose consensus that there are several songs you'll enjoy and several you won't. Personally, I think "Popstar", "From The Heart Down", "Baby's Breath", and "One More Time" are the only keepers, but they're enough to make me glad I bought this CD.

"Popstar" is a catchy pop song with great lyrical and musical hooks that make for a good listen, but the theme is of limited interest, and when you take Chrissie Hynde's magnificent ability to be scathing and put it behind accusing someone of eating red meat, a great talent is being wasted a bit. "Human" is a light pop song reminiscent of songs on "Packed". "From the Heart Down" is a gorgeous slow love song that's among her best. The CD is largely downhill from there. "Nails in the Road" is a musically pleasing slow rocker, with well-written verses, but the nails-in-the-road metaphor in the chorus borders on silly, the "tires about to explode" line perhaps crossing the border. "Who's Who" is bubblegum-light pop, and Chrissie does such songs well, e.g. "Don't Get Me Wrong". The bitter lyrics here just don't match the sweet sound. "Dragway 4z" is a mediocre slow rocker with modal moments that faintly echo the beautiful "Tradition of Love". (This is not an endorsement of the disappointing "Get Close"; several songs on this CD are just reminiscent of songs on that one).

"Baby's Breath" is one of the better songs here, with a catchy chorus and a metaphor that does work well. The verses are weaker, and this is another enjoyable but disposable pop song that is almost too clever. Like several other reviewers, I'd say that's a weakness of many of the songs here - they sometimes seem overly crafted, overly clever. "One More Time" is a 60's-style soul song reminiscent of "Chill Factor". I agree with the reviewer who singles this one out for amazingly passionate singing, with Ms. Hynde playing it much safer on the other tracks. "Legalise Me" is catchy and captures a bit of the early Pretenders sound, but the Amazon review saying energy levels are taken to "breathtaking heights" seems way over the top; those heights were left behind 20 years ago, and that's OK - it would be foolish to try to reach for them at age 50. I largely agree with a reviewer who felt the final 3 songs could have been left off entirely. "Samurai" is very slow, pretty 80s pop with mediocre lyrics and music. I could have done without the Pretenders accompanied by accordion on "Rabo de Nube", or at least would have preferred the song in a different context - Chrissie Hynde doing an Astrid Gilberto-style album might be pleasant enough, but this song really doesn't fit here. I can't decide about "Biker"; it sounds alternately like an embarrassingly bad cliche or a great closing to me, usually the former.

Hynde and her band are skillful and crafstmanlike on this CD, but are often recycling old sounds and hooks to make new and lesser songs that are enjoyable but ultimately forgettable. There are rare artists who manage to re-invent themselves in interesting ways on and off for decades, many who degenerate into self-parody or oldies bands, and then there are those like Hynde who are workmanlike, continue to create, and continue to please with the same sort of music, relying heavily on their early material. If you want to hear Chrissie Hynde doing new songs in great vocal form, no longer trying to sound like she's 30, you'll likely enjoy "Viva El Amor". If you're looking for truly great new songs or sounds, or haven't been satisfied by other Pretenders albums since the early 80s, "Viva El Amor" may not be for you. This is no "Pretenders" or "Learning to Crawl", it's just Chrissie Hynde making some good music. November 6, 2003

4 good songs, some mediocre ones and some bad ones

This is the Pretenders seventh studio album. It was released in 1999. It has 12 tracks and is 45 minutes long. The songs are 3 to 5 minutes long. Sound quality is very good. The mix and sound are basic middle of the road rock.

Jeff Beck plays guitar on this CD. His presence is felt on some of the tracks. But, for the rest of the CD, it could be anyone on guitar.

This CD is similar to everyone the Pretenders have done since Learning to Crawl. A lot of short songs in a pop/rock tradition. Most of them contain a cute illusionary turn of a phrase (Nails in The Road). She puts enough of these songs on an album that some hit and some miss.

There are 4 very good songs on this album. I think some people immediately like this CD because it starts out so well with the song Popstar. The other good songs include Dragway 4Z and Legalise Me. The songs have the emotion and energy that makes the Pretenders so good.

The bad songs are pedistrian pop songs trying to find a clever hook. These include Baby's Breath (Why did you send me flowers/save them for someone's death/it's just baby's breath) and Nails in the Road (Everytime I try to get close to you/you throw nails in the road).

The CD ends up with the ridiculous Biker. She sings "You bring The Biker out in Me", but it is to a lush, mushy, heavily orchestrated tune. It is more like someone brought out the mother in her. If she is going to sing about being a biker, it should be to rough, energetic rock.

The good songs are in the 4 star category. There just aren't enough of them. Last of the Independents is a much better CD. October 29, 2003

Pleasant Sounds

After several plays through, I found this collection of songs to one of the best releases of 1999. The opening song (Popstar) sets the pace for the whole record. It made me miss a good old rock and roll pop song absent from today's radio. The song even takes a slam at everything that is wrong with the music industry today. Chrissie Hynde has one of the best rock and roll voices the industry has ever heard. "One More Time" showcases her talents. I found this album much more accessible than "Last of the Independents". Her ensemble is tight. Musically, you will find a little bit of everything here..One in which I feel is a strength for the band. Chrissie Hynde has matured as a songwriter. You won't find teenage angst in this record. I am excited about the future of the Pretenders after listening to this album. Should this be their swan song, it is a good way to go out. Only fans will miss the sounds of the Pretenders. March 23, 2001

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