Get Close

Chrissie Hynde has my eternal loyalty, whether she's a commercial success at any given time or not. I've listened to her music since I was in college in the early 1980s and have always appreciated her 'tude and her ability to reinvent herself and survive. When this album came out, I was so hungry for something new from the Pretenders, and was fretting that, what with all the tragedy, it was gonna be a long time coming. I bought the cassette before a long drive down the PCH from San Francisco to LA, and it holds the happiest of memories for me. I love it. But try it for yourself. I just never get tired of Hynde's voice and talent. She's legend to me.

We will always mention her name, and if the sound quality is not sterling, we will get over it long enough to hear the music. People, don't you just want to sit back and listen to art that doesn't sell you anything at all? I'm not going to push the album, because I think you should care about the band.

This album certainly takes another direction than earlier albums proving that Chrissie is not afraid to explore different avenues of music. While I was a huge fan of the first two Pretenders Albums for their rawness and edge of punk flavor..."Get Close" has a funkier feel with diverse styles...although not the commercial success of Learning to Crawl...the "Hymn to Her" cut is one of her best ballads ever...making this collection worth it!.