Alone | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 21 October 2016 | |||
Recorded | October 2015 [1] [2] | |||
Studio | Easy Eye Sound, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 46:19 | |||
Label | BMG Rights Management | |||
Producer | Dan Auerbach | |||
The Pretenders chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Alone | ||||
Alone is the tenth studio album by English-American rock band the Pretenders. The album was released on 21 October 2016, by BMG Rights Management. [5] [6] It is the first Pretenders album since 2008's Break Up the Concrete , and follows Chrissie Hynde's solo debut Stockholm from 2014. [7]
Hynde is the only member of the band to appear on the album (which may explain the chosen album title), with the backing band consisting of session musicians; this was also the case with Packed! (1990), the first Pretenders album that used this method. The album is the band's second consecutive album not to include drummer Martin Chambers.
Produced by the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach, Alone was originally planned to be a solo follow-up to Chrissie Hynde's solo album Stockholm. [8] It was recorded in two weeks in October 2015 [1] [9] at Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee. It features a group of session musicians that Auerbach brought together, [9] including Johnny Cash's former bass player Dave Roe and Kenny Vaughan on guitar, plus members of Auerbach's side project the Arcs. [10] Guitarist Duane Eddy makes a cameo appearance on one track. [11]
Due to a respiratory infection, Hynde was barely able to sing during the sessions and didn't record her vocals until the last two days. According to Auerbach, the vocals were done in just a couple takes. Hynde sang live with the band most of the time during the sessions and there were songs where Auerbach kept the live vocal. [9] On one song, "Blue Eyed Sky", Hynde feels her hoarseness is clearly heard, "I sound like I'm on death's door, but I got used to it and said, "Oh fuck it." Although not credited for playing guitar on the album, Hynde has stated that she played on "Gotta Wait". Hynde said of the sessions, "We'd play the demos, which I sent to Dan [Auerbach] before the sessions, and Dave [Roe] would write out a chart, pass it out to everyone, we'd do three takes, and move on to the next song. And I might croak out a guide vocal." [12] Hynde has described the album as "very live-sounding because it was recorded that way." [10]
Written during the recording sessions, the album's title track celebrates being alone. [10] "I wrote it real fast," Hynde said. "When I said I did most stuff on my own, Dan said, "Write a song about it." I was waiting for a cab to take me to the airport when I recorded it – it was the last thing we did." [13] "I Hate Myself" was an a cappella track that Hynde sang straight into the microphone with no musical accompaniment. "I added some cool guitar hooks and called it a co-write," she said. [14] The track "Holy Commotion" was originally written by Swedish songwriter and producer Björn Yttling with Primal Scream members Bobby Gillespie and Andrew Innes for the 2016 Primal Scream album Chaosmosis . However, when Hynde, who had previously worked with Yttling, approached him for songs for Alone, he ended up sending her the song for which she wrote new lyrics. [15] The ballad "Death Is Not Enough" is written by British songwriter Marek Rymaszewski [16] – a friend of Hynde's [17] – and was first recorded by Rymaszewski in 2013. [18] Some critics saw it as one of the highlights of the album. [11] [19] [20]
Hynde has stated that when she brought the finished album back from the studio, the people it was played to said how great it was to have the Pretenders back – "that's how they were hearing it," she explained. She then decided to release the album under the Pretenders banner. [17] [21]
The single version of "Let's Get Lost" features Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys on additional vocals. [4]
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2023) |
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 77/100 [22] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
American Songwriter | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Consequence of Sound | B [19] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Independent | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Observer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Alone received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77 based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [22]
The Los Angeles Daily News called Alone "something of a mixed bag" but opined that Pretenders fans will find plenty to like. "Her occasional attempts to step away from traditional Pretenders core values don't always succeed," they wrote, "but are intriguing nonetheless." They felt that the album's heart lies in a "clutch of elegantly observed romantic ballads." [20]
Uncut felt that Hynde delivers great vocal performances and that the album has the feel of the first three Pretenders albums – "all chiming guitars, Phil Spector drum stomps and creaky vintage studio details." [11] The Observer also praised Hynde's voice, calling it "one of rock's finest voices, still a fist in a velvet glove." They felt that "not every track is a killer, but most snarl (or sweet-talk) their way into the Pretenders' lofty canon." [27]
The album works thanks to "Hynde's willingness to fall into Auerbach's world of vintage blues, soul, and R&B," said Consequence of Sound, and stated that "Auerbach steers Hynde into a lot of new sonic territory, but he's also smart enough not to deviate too far from what's always made the Pretenders' work." The Independent agreed, calling it "a fine album, subtly varied in both musical style and lyrical slant." [26]
American Songwriter wrote that anyone hoping the combination of Hynde and Auerbach collaborating "would result in a raw, rustbelt Black Keys meets Iggy Pop explosion, may be disappointed. That doesn't make this ballad heavy set substandard, but it does seem like a missed opportunity." They concluded that "Alone won't go down as a great Pretenders disc up there with Learning to Crawl or the magnificent debut, but it's no embarrassment either. Despite the lack of rockers, Hynde hasn't mellowed even if her music has." [24] According to AllMusic, the album "marries solid songwriting with a sympathetic, surprising production, all of which amounts to a very satisfying Pretenders album." [23]
Songwriting credits adapted from the album's liner notes, except where noted. [29]
All tracks are written by Chrissie Hynde, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Alone" | Hynde, Dan Auerbach, Richard Swift | 3:49 |
2. | "Roadie Man" | 3:54 | |
3. | "Gotta Wait" | 2:58 | |
4. | "Never Be Together" | Hynde, Björn Yttling, Fyfe Dangerfield | 4:01 |
5. | "Let's Get Lost" | Hynde, Amanda Ghost, Dave McCracken | 3:03 |
6. | "Chord Lord" | 3:14 | |
7. | "Blue Eyed Sky" | 4:51 | |
8. | "The Man You Are" | 3:45 | |
9. | "One More Day" | 4:15 | |
10. | "I Hate Myself" | Hynde, Auerbach | 4:43 |
11. | "Death Is Not Enough" | Marek Rymaszewski | 3:11 |
12. | "Holy Commotion" | Hynde, Yttling, Bobby Gillespie, Andrew Innes [30] | 4:12 |
The first disc of the special edition contains the 12 tracks from the original album. The second disc, Alive, contains live recordings from the Pretenders' 2017 Alone tour.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Alone" (23 June 2017, Glastonbury Festival, UK ) | Hynde, Auerbach, Swift | 3:12 |
2. | "Gotta Wait" (8 July 2017, Bospop festival, Netherlands ) | 2:50 | |
3. | "Message of Love" (13 March 2017, Austin City Limits Music Festival, USA ) | 4:04 | |
4. | "Private Life" (13 March 2017, Austin City Limits Music Festival, USA) | 5:19 | |
5. | "Down the Wrong Way" (13 March 2017, Austin City Limits Music Festival, USA) | Hynde, Yttling | 3:38 |
6. | "Don't Get Me Wrong" (23 June 2017, Glastonbury Festival, UK) | 3:59 | |
7. | "Night in My Veins" (23 June 2017, Glastonbury Festival, UK) | Hynde, Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly | 4:05 |
8. | "Let's Get Lost" (26 June 2017, La Salle Pleyel, France ) | Hynde, Ghost, McCracken | 3:50 |
9. | "I Hate Myself" (26 June 2017, La Salle Pleyel, France) | Hynde, Auerbach | 4:35 |
10. | "I'll Stand by You" (9 June 2017, Isle of Wight Festival, UK) | Hynde, Steinberg, Kelly | 4:15 |
11. | "Boots of Chinese Plastic" (19 July 2017, EDP Cool Jazz festival, Portugal ) | 2:44 | |
12. | "Thumbelina" (19 July 2017, EDP Cool Jazz festival, Portugal) | 5:07 | |
13. | "Up the Neck" (13 March 2017, Austin City Limits Music Festival, USA) | 4:28 | |
14. | "Mystery Achievement" (13 March 2017, Austin City Limits Music Festival, USA) | 5:27 | |
15. | "Middle of the Road" (13 March 2017, Austin City Limits Music Festival, USA) | 6:23 |
Adapted from the album's liner notes, except where noted. [29]
Additional personnel
Alive personnel
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [31] | 107 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [32] | 113 |
French Albums (SNEP) [33] | 198 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [34] | 31 |
UK Albums (OCC) [35] | 40 |
US Billboard 200 [36] | 150 |
The Pretenders are a British-American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon and Martin Chambers. Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, the band experienced numerous personnel changes; Hynde has been the band's only consistent member.
Pretenders is the debut studio album by British-American band The Pretenders, released in January 1980. A combination of rock and roll, punk and new wave music, this album made the band famous. The album features the singles "Stop Your Sobbing", "Kid" and "Brass in Pocket".
Christine Ellen Hynde is an American-British musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band The Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alongside drummer Martin Chambers. She is the only continuous member of the band, appearing on every studio album.
¡Viva El Amor! is the seventh studio album by the rock band the Pretenders, released in 1999. The band's lineup for the album is the same as that credited on 1994's Last of the Independents: Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers (drums), Andy Hobson (bass) and Adam Seymour (guitar). This time, however, the credited line-up actually plays on most of the album, although Hobson is replaced on bass by session musicians on a few cuts.
James Honeyman-Scott was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band the Pretenders.
Martin Dale Chambers is an English musician, best known as a founding member and drummer of the rock band the Pretenders. In addition to playing the drums with the group, Chambers sings backing vocals and plays percussion. He was part of the original band line-up, which also included Chrissie Hynde (vocals/guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (guitar/vocals/keyboards) and Pete Farndon. Hynde and Chambers are the only two surviving original members, and he has served two separate tenures with the group.
Learning to Crawl is the third studio album by British-American rock band the Pretenders. It was released on 13 January 1984 by Sire Records after a hiatus during which band members James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon died of drug overdoses. The album's title of "Learning to Crawl" was given in honour of Chrissie Hynde's then-infant daughter, Natalie Rae Hynde. She was learning to crawl at the time that Hynde was trying to determine a title for the album.
Get Close is the fourth studio album by rock band the Pretenders, released on 20 October 1986 in the United Kingdom by Real Records and on 4 November 1986 in the United States by Sire Records. The album contains the band's two highest-charting Mainstream Rock Tracks entries, "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "My Baby", both of which reached number one.
Packed! is the fifth studio album by rock group Pretenders, released in 1990.
Last of the Independents is the sixth studio album by English-American rock group the Pretenders, released in 1994. For this album, the band is officially credited as being Chrissie Hynde, Adam Seymour (guitar), Andy Hobson (bass) and Martin Chambers (drums). However, this line-up only plays together on one track ; the rest of the album is performed by Hynde and Seymour in conjunction with a rotating series of musicians on bass and drums. These musicians include Hobson and Chambers, as well as bassists Andy Rourke, Tom Kelly and David Paton, and drummers Jimmy Copley and J.F.T. Hood. A few other session musicians also appear, including Ian Stanley, and one-time Pretenders guitarist Robbie McIntosh, who plays alongside Hynde and Seymour on "I'm a Mother". The album marked the official return of Chambers, who had been fired by Hynde eight years prior.
Loose Screw is the eighth studio album by rock group the Pretenders, and was released in 2002. It was the first time that the Pretenders had the same credited band line-up on three consecutive studio albums.
"Brass in Pocket", also known as "Brass in Pocket (I'm Special)", is a song by English–American rock band the Pretenders, released in 1979 as the third single from their self-titled debut album. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and James Honeyman-Scott, and produced by Chris Thomas. Originating as a guitar lick written by Honeyman-Scott, the song's lyrics were explained by Hynde to be about the cockiness that one needs to effectively perform. The song's title derives from a phrase she overheard after a show.
"Back on the Chain Gang" is a song written by American-British musician Chrissie Hynde, originally recorded by her band the Pretenders and released as a single by Sire Records in September 1982. The song was included on The King of Comedy soundtrack album in March 1983 and was later included on the Pretenders' third album, Learning to Crawl, in January 1984.
"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song by British-American alternative rock group the Pretenders. It was the first single released from the group's fourth studio album, Get Close (1986). It was also included on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987. Frontwoman Chrissie Hynde said she was inspired to write the song for her friend John McEnroe.
Break Up the Concrete is the ninth studio album by rock group the Pretenders. It is their first studio album since Loose Screw in 2002. Several "exclusive" editions of the disc exist ; each appends a new countrified version of a vintage Pretenders song, in keeping with the general sound of the album. The title song "Break Up the Concrete" was used in the opening scene of an episode of House M.D..
"Stop Your Sobbing" is a song written by Ray Davies for the Kinks' debut album, Kinks. It was later covered by the Pretenders as their first single.
Stockholm is the debut solo album by American singer Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of the Pretenders. It was released on June 10, 2014. It features several guests such as Canadian musician Neil Young and former tennis player John McEnroe.
Valve Bone Woe is the second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Chrissie Hynde. The album consists entirely of cover versions, and was released on September 6, 2019, by BMG Rights Management. The jazz-influenced album features 14 renditions from a wide variety of artists, including Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Nick Drake, John Coltrane and more.
Hate for Sale is the eleventh studio album by English-American rock band the Pretenders. It was released on July 17, 2020 by BMG Rights Management. It has received positive reception from critics.
Relentless is the twelfth studio album by the English-American rock band the Pretenders, released on 15 September 2023 through Parlophone. It is the first Pretenders album released through Parlophone and was preceded by the lead single "Let the Sun Come In". The band began their Relentless Tour on 12 May, which includes the UK and Ireland as well as various European, US and Canada dates up to October 2023.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)