Pretenders "packed!" 1990

After the tour for the below par "Get Close" album, the latest version of the Pretenders pretty much disintegrated. Although Chrissie Hynde brought along drummer Blair Cunningham from this lineup, this fifth album could really be considered Chrissie Hynde's first solo album, recorded, like "Get Close", with session men...
...Fortunately, this album sounds nothing like "Get Close", which was largely a product of overdone 80's pop sounds. Hynde hired a new producer, Mitchell Froom, and he returned to the guitar-centered rock that was the trademark of the group's earliest albums. The occasional keyboards are only used for flavor. The sounds lacks the in-your-face power provided by original producer Chris Thomas, but it sounds like very much a piece from beginning to end. Even the group's best records (even the first, still the top choice) had at least one track that sounded out of place due to differing personnel, producer, or recording session.
Anyway, the songwriting is top notch here. The album starts off strong with a lovely Byrds-like pop-rocker, "Never Do That". There's also a fun attempt at rockabilly ("Millionaires"), Hynde's first successful attempt at reggae ("How Do I Miss You?), moving ballads ("Criminal", a great cover of Hendrix's "May There Be Love" ), and best of all, fun hard rockers like "Downtown", "Hold A Candle to This" and "No Guarantee". Forthright statements like "Sense of Purpose" and "Let's Make a Pact" show that Chrissie wasn't ready to give up, despite all the problems.
It's a high-quality release, but it was a bomb both critically and commercially, and at that point there were no "Pretenders" to tour and promote it. For reasons I don't get, it's got a bad reputation among fans. Although most of the other albums have individual songs that are better and rock harder, this is a consistently strong album that fans will enjoy. The first album is always the first choice, but you won't be sorry if you buy "Packed." - Trevor Roland Fesok
trax:
1 Never Do That 2 Let's Make A Pact 3 Millionaires 4 May This Be Love 5 No Guarantee 6 When Will I See You 7 Sense Of Purpose 8 Downtown (Akron) 9 How Do I Miss You 10 Hold A Candle To This 11 Criminal