Pretenders - Viva El Amor

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Music reviews of Viva El Amor

Music Review: Their best since "Packed"
Rating: 4 Stars

"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.

Description of Viva El Amor

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Classic Rock
• Pop
• Rock