*VIVA EL AMOR Pretenders Warner Bros.
Chrissie Hynde, rock chick grown old, retains her tough-girl image as she fronts the 1999 edition of the Pretenders, which have a new 12-song release, “Viva El Amor.”
Like almost every album Hynde and company have released over the last 20 years, this one combines aggressive and melodic rock in support of her very recognizable voice.
On “Viva,” the Pretenders show a chameleon-like musical ability, with tunes that fit into almost any radio format, from classic rock to adult contemporary. What’s also appealing is that even though the music is closer to pop than punk, there seems to be little compromise from the band’s early style.
True to that style, “Viva” percolates with lyrics that delve into both social issues and matters of the heart. The music is mostly straight-ahead rock, occasionally punctuated with a moody compositions or ballad.
On “Popstar,” Hynde offers a very Lou Reed-y staccato vocal. It fits the number, whose sarcastic lyrics explore how tough it is to be a god of music. “Popstar” is OK, but it’s overproduced, with an awful sugar ‘n’ white bread back-up singing.
None of the songs on this disc is a dud, but it is strange that “Popstar,” the weakest of the collection, was chosen as “Viva”‘s opener. The rocker “Nails in the Road” or the blues ballad “One More Time” would certainly have been more striking songs to introduce the disc.
The Pretenders definitely know what they should sound like and don’t stray from that style very often. Friends of the band might call this being consistent, but others could argue that the Pretenders are merely rewriting what they have already written. Either way there are enjoyable moments, particularly the the searing guitar work by Jeff Beck on “Legalize Me.”
Although this is a good disc sure to satisfy Pretender fanatics, the best news about this album is that it gets Hynde and her band out of the house and back on the road to tour. And, in fact, the band is at the Bowery Ballroom tomorrow.
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DA REAL WORLD Missy Elliott Elektra
Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott has elevated the noun “bitch” (which riddles her estrogen powered feminist declaration “Da Real World”) to a state of mind.
On “World’s” 17 tracks, Elliott tops her debut disc “Supa Dupa Fly” with a combination of rap and R&B that is powerfully female, often profane and with the kind of street credibility that will propel it to the top of the charts – possibly one of the year’s best sellers.
Elliott’s voice when she is singing is earthy in the lower resister and very sweet when she’s working the middle tones. As a rapper she has a nimble tongue and crisp elocution that says she wants every phrase, every word understood.
Even more unusual, Elliott provided all the lyrics to the songs. Only a few hip-hop outfits such as the Roots and Public Enemy are brave enough to do that.
Of the many top tunes here, listen for “She’s a Bitch, Busa Rhyme,” featuring Eminem, and “Do you Know,” in which Elliott works a duet with Lil’ Mo.
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SURRENDER The Chemical Brothers ? Astralwerks
Ed Simons and his partner Tom Rowlands, the English school chums who grew up to be the Chemical Brothers, have created another near-perfect dance disc that bubbles with electronic repetitions that have no business being as good to listen to as they are.
The album illustrates classic techno/dance knob-twirling moves that will spin easily on any turntable. Highlights include Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher’s vocal turn on a Beatles-esqe “Let Forever Be,” as well as the excellent beat-heavy instrumental “Got Glint?”
In a way, this disc’s hip-shaking virtues become easier to appreciate when the volume is cranked to the point where you can feel the music on your skin, but without having an opportunity to hear it on a club’s house system with amps to deliver dominating decibels it’s difficult to say whether “Surrender” can be appreciated on a home stereo.
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MEL TORME: AT THE MOVIES Mel Torme Rhino Records/Turner Classic Movies Music
Mel Torme, who died of complications from a stroke in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago, managed to do just about every thing there is to do in show business.
He was a vocal stylist in a league of his own, a composer, an arranger, a pianist and even an actor. Always a little more jazz-oriented than Sinatra, the “Velvet Fog” was one of the most in-demand artists of the Hollywood musical era, which is celebrated on “At the Movies,” a collection of his screen performances from the ’40s through 1990.
For fans and pop-music history buffs, the collection is a comprehensive document that traces the evolution of Torme’s sound from when he was a 17-year-old kid with a smooth croon to his foray’s into more experimental jazz stylings.
Favorites on this 20-song collection are “Mrs. Wiffen” (from the 1943 musical “Higher and Higher”); Torme’s signature “Blue Moon” (from 1948’s “Words and Music”); and “Monster’s Lead Such Interesting Lives” (from 1988 animated picture “Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters”).