Chrissie Hynde covers The Kinks' "No Return"
"Jazz is something I grew up around and I've always had a soft spot for it"
Singer-songwriter Chrissie Hynde has given the Kinks track "No Return" a jazz makeover in her rendition of the song. The cut comes from her upcoming new covers album Valve Bone Woe, where Hynde takes on some noted singers and songwriters including Brian Wilson, Frank Sinatra, Charles Mingus, Hoagy Carmichael, John Coltrane, Nick Drake, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and of course, Ray Davies. The original, written by Davies, was released on The Kinks' 1967 album Something Else.
The new album was produced by Marius de Vries and recorded with the Valve Bone Woe Ensemble at Air Studios in London. In discussing the new songs, Hynde talked about the genesis of what would become the new album and how it came to be;
"I thought that was a perfect title for the album I'd been working on with producer Marius de Vries. After we'd recorded "I Wish You Love" for the Eye Of The Beholder soundtrack I'd often expressed a desire to do more along those lines. What eventually emerged was the idea to do what we refer to as our Jazz/Dub album. I'm not hugely interested in branching out into other musical genres, being a devout rock singer as such, but jazz is something I grew up around (thanks to my bro) and I've always had a soft spot for it."
Other covers from Valve Bone Woe include the Beach Boys' "Caroline, No," Frank Sinatra's "I'm a Fool to Want You," Nancy Wilson's "How Glad I Am," Charles Mingus' "Meditation on a Pair of Wire Cutters," Johnny Mathis' "Wild is the Wind," and John Coltrane's "Naima".
Valve Bone Woe is out Friday, September 6th via BMG. The famed Pretenders' frontwoman last released a solo album in 2014, titled Stockholm, while The Pretenders last studio album was 2016's Alone.