Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders has announced a new duets album as Chrissie Hynde & Pals that will have her collaborating with Cat Power, Debbie Harry of Blondie, Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode, Lucinda Williamss, Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Alan Sparhawk of Low, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Dan Auerbach of Black Keys, the late Mark Lanegan, and more on a variety of covers. Duets Special is due out on October 17 via Rhino., and the first single is a rendition of the classic “Always On My Mind,” which Elvis, Willie Nelson, and Pet Shop Boys each had hits with, featuring Rufus Wainwright. Hear that below.
“I never thought about doing a Duets album before,” Hynde says. “I think the idea came about in 2023. I was talking to Jörn, Rufus Wainwright’s husband, on the phone. I think we were recommending novels to each other, and for some reason, I said Hey, maybe Rufus and I should do something, and quickly scribbled out 10 songs off the top of my head. So Jörn asked Rufus, who was up for it, and that’s how it started. A spontaneous and what I thought would be a fun thing.”
The Pretenders’ most recent album is 2023’s great Relentless, which you can stream below.
CHRISSIE HYNDE & PALS – DUETS SPECIAL
01. Me & Mrs Jones (feat. k.d. lang)
02. Can’t Help Falling In Love (feat. Mark Lanegan)
03. Sway (feat. Lucinda Williams)
04. Dolphins (feat. Dave Gahan)
05. First Of The Gang To Die (feat. Cat Power)
06. Always On My Mind (feat. Rufus Wainwright)
07. Every Little Bit Hurts (feat. Carleen Anderson)
08. I’m Not In Love (feat. Brandon Flowers)
09. It’s Only Love (feat. Julian Lennon)
10. Try To Sleep (feat. Debbie Harry)
11. County Line (feat. Alan Sparhawk)
12. Love Letters (feat. Shirley Manson)
13. (You’re My) Soul And Inspiration (feat. Dan Auerbach)