New Pretenders LP En Route

Ninth album, first in six years, all new band backing Hynde.

By Fred Mills

The name is the Pretenders and the game is Break Up The Concrete — the title of their new album, due September 23 from Shangri-La Music.

Now before you get all crazy thinking the band has hooked up with one of BLURT’s fave indies, the Memphis-based Shangri-La Records — THIS Shangri-La is an entirely different one, the mainstream pop label that has the Duke Spirit, Neimo and Trevor Menear (who?) on its roster. Ahem. Decorum prevents us from commenting too sharply here, but perhaps the new label should have considered a different name out of respect and good taste. The Memphis Shangri-La has been around for ages.

Anyhow, in a press release this morning, we were advised that the ninth Pretenders album, the band’s first in six hears, “has band leader Chrissie Hynde collaborating with a new group of musicians. Recorded in 10 day the result is a stripped down roots album, pure and raw, which highlights Hynde's timeless vocal sound. Classic leads by guitarist James Walbourne, the twang of pedal steel from Eric Heywood, and backed by a concrete foundation laid by the rhythm section of bassist Nick Wilkinson and legendary drummer Jim Keltner, this band allows Hynde to show off her best vocal work and songwriting since the early days of The Pretenders.”

Sounds good so far. Plans are also afoot for a massive MP3 marketing campaign: initiall, this song “Boots of Chinese Plastic” will be available via Spinner.com, with subsequent offerings to be found at Apple QuickTime's site, ClearChannel.com, CMT.com, iLike, iMeem, MP3.com/Download.com, MSN Windows Media, Vh1 Classic, Yahoo and CBS Radio Online.

Fans will be able to find where the next free MP3 will be available by going to ThePretenders.com.