Chrissie Hynde covers Bob Dylan.
Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
Fortunately, the result of that equation — as witnessed on the nearly released “Standing In the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan” — is every bit as good as one would hope.
Seriously, it’s one of the best new albums we’ve heard all year.
The always amazing Hynde, who is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the mighty Pretenders, covers nine Dylan numbers on this new set.
She skips over most of the well-known fan favorites and “hits,” so don’t push play and think you’ll hear the likes of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin'” and “Like a Rolling Stone.” Instead, she dives a bit deeper into the great songwriter’s catalog for such gems as “In the Summertime,” “Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight” and the amazing title track. (The complete track listing shown below.)
Hynde recorded the album in 2020 during the lockdown, working — in socially distanced fashion, mostly via text messages — with Pretenders bandmate James Walbourne.
“A few weeks into lockdown last year, James sent me the new Dylan track, ‘Murder Most Foul.’” Hynde says. “Listening to that song completely changed everything for me. I was lifted out of this morose mood that I’d been in. I remember where I was sitting the day that Kennedy was shot — every reference in the song. Whatever Bob does, he still manages somewhere in there to make you laugh because as much as anything, he’s a comedian. He’s always funny and always has something to say. I called James and said, ‘Let’s do some Dylan covers,’ and that’s what started this whole thing.”
“Standing In the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan” will be released via major streaming services on May 20. CD and vinyl versions follow on Aug. 20.
Track listing:
“In The Summertime”
“You’re a Big Girl Now”
“Standing In the Doorway”
“Sweetheart Like You”
“Blind Willie McTell”
“Love Minus Zero/No Limit”
“Don’t Fall Apart On Me Tonight”
“Tomorrow Is a Long Time”
“Every Grain of Sand”
