The Pretenders – The Best Of/ Break Up The Concrete

This double album is a glorious ride on the nostalgia train of The Pretenders 30 year history, before dropping off at slap bang in the middle of up-to-date, with their latest release, Break Up The Concrete.The Best OfWith 22 iconic tracks, there's no doubt that at least one song on this album will have sound tracked your life at some point. At 22, I've got a relatively short innings in The Pretender's history, but tracks like 'I'll Stand By You', 'Back On The Chain Gang', 'Brass In Pocket', in fact anything in the first ten tracks, are those timeless, ubiquitous tracks that creep under the skin and stay there forever. 'Precious' is Chrissie Hynde at her punk-tastic, unapologetic, ballsy best, with that half-singing, half-talking Dylan-inspired drawl.There's a bit of a dip in the middle, as we enter mid-tempo country for a while, however 'I Go To Sleep' is shimmers with the open honesty and rawness of the lyrics about an absent lover.The penultimate track on The Best Of is '2000 Miles', and despite being as far away from Christmas as it's possible to be, the lilting waltz rhythm seems to suit summery and wintery days alike. Rounding things off is the rambunctious, shuffling percussive sounds of 'Tattooed Love Boys', with Hynde putting those boys in their place, and cementing her place as the ultimate front woman.Break Up The ConcreteOpener 'Boots of Chinese Plastic' follows on well from 'Tattooed Love Boys', with a similar shuffle, but with more hints of rockabilly, blues and country. Indeed, this album certainly has its roots in these genres, with a move away perhaps from their usual pop-based sound, and sounding all the better for it.'The Nothing Maker' is a wistful, slide-guitar enhanced ballad perfect for night sat out on porches, reminiscing about past adventures whilst 'Don't Lose Faith In Me' is an epic track, with all the emotion and sentiments of 'I'll Stand By You'.Break Up The Concrete, does suggest, dare I say it, that The Pretenders may have mellowed in their later years. Whilst there's the odd hugh-energy number, such as the 'Don't Cut Your Hair', a fast-tempoed country/blues, with lyrics tumbling out so fast Hynde barely has time to take a breath, there's a more clam, reflective feel to this album. Hardly surprising really, when you consider their huge back catalogue of work. And the new themes work nicely, with Hynde's lyrics still as honest and engaging as ever, set to a backdrop of menacing blues and longing slide guitar.The title track is The Pretenders at their best - unpredictable, ridiculously catchy, lashings of attitude and that timeless quality. No wonder they named the album after this track.Old and new, The Pretenders have aged gracefully to say the least. Still that irresistible blend of hard and soft, with Chrissie Hynde being able being able produce tears, self-belief and riot-girl attitude all at once, all with infectious hooks and riffs, and pop-perfect melodies, it's hard to find another band still knocking it out the park after 30 years. 85%The Pretenders on MySpace