The Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde may well be my favourite female vocalist. The way she glides and soars round a vocal line is simply sublime, never more evident than on their eponymous debut. An original hybrid of rock, punk and new wave, with a little bit of funk and reggae thrown in for good measure this 1979 classic introduced the world to the unique vocals of Chrissie. Combining blunt honesty with an inner vulnerability she smashed all the old stereotypes and marked a new era in female singers, making it cool for independent women to make music that was sexy because it wasn't sexual.

It's a deep, rewarding record, whose primary virtue is its sheer energy, it moves faster and harder than most rock records, delivering an endless series of melodies, hooks, and infectious rhythms in its 12 songs. Having James Honeyman Scott throwing inventive riffs behind almost every song certainly helped, as did the undeniable power of Martin Chambers and Pete Farndon as a rhythm team. All the chemistry was in perfect coordination here. 

Infectious, groundbreaking, spirited, conventional and new, The Pretenders self titled debut stands as a landmark rock n roll album that helped drag the underground of 1970's punk kicking and screaming into the overground. 

The Pretenders introduced us to Chrissie Hynde and it immediately catapulted her to the upper echelon of lead singers. Her style was forceful, feminine, distinct and warned everybody that she could kick your ass if she had to, the sense of a great rock star apparent simply in her breath and moan and exhalation. 

Over 40 years later the album still sounds awesome, and has aged unbelievably well. Few albums, let alone debuts, are ever this astonishingly addictive.