Credit: Jill Furmanovsky

Credit: Jill FurmanovskyLast year, Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde and lead guitarist James Walbourne recorded a series of Bob Dylan covers that were posted along with accompanying music videos on her band’s official YouTube channel. Now, Hynde reveals in a new Facebook post that an album featuring the cover tunes is on its way.

“[T]he Dylan songs we recorded over the phone during lockdown are coming out in album form, imaginatively titled, ‘Chrissie Hynde sings Bob Dylan,'” she writes. “So we’re running through the songs on acoustics in case we get a chance to perform them in a small club somewhere. Great songs — OBVIOUSLY.”

In all, companion videos to nine Dylan tunes recorded by Hynde and Walbourne were posted on YouTube between April and October: “In the Summertime,” “You’re a Big Girl Now,” “Standing in the Doorway,” “Sweetheart Like You,” “Blind Willie McTell,” “Love Minus Zero,” “Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight,” “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” and “Every Grain of Sand.”

Chrissie says she doesn’t see doing a major tour or being able to play large gigs “for the foreseeable future,” but she’s hoping she can do some acoustic shows at small clubs sooner than later.

She adds, “I’d also like to unearth some of my more obscure [Pretenders] tunes, like ‘All My Dreams’ and ‘One Thing Never Changed’ and a ton of others (all suggestions welcomed).”

Hynde ends her note by saying, “[I]f we can make it work, James and I might pull up in your town, jump off the train, and play in the smallest venue you got and then be on our way.  So we might get to see you before 2023.”

The Pretenders’ latest studio album, Hate for Sale, was released in July, but the band’s touring plans were canceled because of the pandemic.

By Matt Friedlander
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