Viva El Amor

The Pretenders | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 22, 1999)
• Original Release Date: June 22, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B00000JC6F
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,907 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Popstar

2. Human

3. From the Heart Down

4. Nails in the Road

5. Who's Who

6. Dragway 42

7. Baby's Breath

8. One More Time

9. Legalise Me

10. Samurai

11. Rabo de Nube

12. Biker

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Chrissie Hynde is back to kick some ass. ¡Viva el Amor!, the Pretenders' first studio album since 1994's Last of the Independents, provides a reading on the singer's state of mind and relationships. Hynde and company--stalwart drummer Martin Chambers and an assortment of complementary players--take the energy level to breathtaking heights, especially on "Legalise Me," which matches Jeff Beck's incendiary guitar work against our heroine's rapid-fire delivery. Hynde shows that she can still sneer with the best of them on "Popstar," her biting send-up of late-'90s girl singers (and reportedly a roman à clef aimed in part at Patsy Kensit, who was once married to Hynde's former husband, Simple Minds' Jim Kerr). "Baby's Breath" skewers a young lover and showcases her sangfroid vocals at their chilling best. Hynde pours on more vitriol in "Biker," the record's final cut, which pairs steel-hard lyrics with an incongruously sweet string section. Nearly two decades after the release of the Pretenders' landmark debut, the Great Pretender is still feeling feisty. --Jaan Uhelszki

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Viva La Hynde !, November 21, 1999

By 

Mark Vachon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Viva El Amor (Audio CD)

I was not in the least dissapointed. I am tired of people taking the p... out of Chrissie Hynde because they keep expecting the early years all over again. What is it with these people, do they expect David Bowie to give us Ziggy Stardust at 50+ years? Iggy, to cut his chest with glass and smear peanut butter on his chest? Now, CH to me is in a class of contemporary singers and songwriters that I admire such as Elvis Costello, Scott Walker, Nick Cave and John Cale. She has maintained her integrity and by no means does she look foolish still doing it. Viva el Amor! is a classy record by all pop standards. The writing is tight and to the point and the vocals are amazing, almost effortless in delivery. Her last studio creation, "Last of the Independents" felt like a patchwork of half baked (no pun!)ideas, a last ditch effort to regain some weird rock 'n' roll glory from years gone by, no doubt fueled by music industry slime. It failed as a cohesive work while Viva flows! The new CD is clearly the work of someone finally grounded after a very tumultuous career. After all, people like Dionne Warwick, Scott Walker and Dusty Springfield have been heralded years after their prime, by many music fans and critics longing to look back to the past for substance. In an age of music that is so heavily steeped in irony I can guarentee that CH will be remembered for her unique soulfulness and her gorgeous songs. Viva el La Hynde!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Believe the Anti-Hype, December 8, 1999

By 

Mookie "star of TV's Manimal" (Indianapolis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Viva El Amor (Audio CD)

Okay, so I admit that it took me awhile to buy this one. I was intrigued by the "Human" single after hearing it as the theme to the much-too-short-lived ABC show "Cupid", but not enough to rush out and buy it. It was months later when I saw it on sale that I bought it on a whim. Having now heard every album the Pretenders have recorded, this stands alongside LEARNING TO CRAWL as Chrissie and the gang's finest efforts. I really could just gush about this CD for hours, but here's what you really need to know:

This CD is solid from beginning to end. No filler, no lame ducks. If I could buy each of you a copy of this disc, I would, but I can't. That would cost a lot of money. Besides, I don't even know you. Buy your own copy, ya moocher! You can thank me later.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mature Rock & Roll, September 27, 2000

By 

dev1 (Baltimore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Viva El Amor (Audio CD)

While most girl rockers manage to stay at the top of the heap for twenty minutes, Chrissie Hynde has held on to the title "queen of the hill" for twenty years. She's a reliable composer, exciting singer, and handles a guitar with the gentleness of rose petal (Samurai), and the power of a steamroller (Nails In The Road). Viva El Amor contains twelve terrific self-penned tracks ranging from Pink Cotton Candy Pop (Human) to down-and-dirty rock (Baby's Breath). Chrissie is a rocker's dream come true: she'll take you out behind the barn, give you a soft kiss and break you heart (From The Heart Down); or take you behind the barn and kick you tail (Legalize Me). Unlike most porcelain female singers who wouldn't dare be caught dead with a hair out of place, Chrissie sweats like a real person: something unfathomable on MTV's pristine videos. `Legalize Me' is as hot as a stolen SUV. My favorites include the sixties Girl Group Pop single `Human.' The song brings back fond memories of the Cookies and the Chiffons. `Who's Who' is also a sunny Jangle Pop track - check the dB's-like gorgeous rhythm guitars.

Two decades after she first strapped on a Fender guitar, Chrissie's lyrics don't sound at all like those of an angry teenager, and they shouldn't. Forty year old teenagers are a pathetic lot. Chrissie is a mature woman - and so are her songs. In `Popstar' she exclaims "they don't make `em like they used to." I agree - few rockers today can hold a candle to Chrissie Hynde. Granted, Viva El Amor is not my favorite Pretenders' album, but it sure beats the pants off ninety percent of the music available.