Chrissie Hynde—frontman from the Alternative rockers The Pretenders, has revealed the cover of Charles Trenet’s original “Que Reste-t-il De nos Amours?” The new song is one of the tracks in her upcoming solo album titled Valve Bone Woe. The 14-tracks record will release on September 6 via BMG. Pre-order is available now.
Recorded with the Valve Bone Woe Ensemble at Air Studios in London, new album Valve Bone Woe covers hits from many classic musicians, including Brian Wilson, Frank Sinatra, Charles Mingus, Hoagy Carmichael, John Coltrane, Nick Drake, Ray Davies and Rodgers and Hammerstein.
In Hynde’s version, “Que Reste-t-il De nos Amours?” is ethereal and feathery. Surrounded by beautiful jazzy piano, her soft and genuine voice is as light as thistle-down. Unlike the usual way she presents in rock songs, the rocker puts her explosive energy and “messthetic” rawness of punk aside, chant with her soul. The jazz-inspired song is interpreted as romantic-minded, like ear candy. A delicate female persona was unfolded by the elegant backdrop music and Hynde’s airy vocal.
Going into the creation of the album, Hynde says: “I’m not hugely interested in branching out into other musical genres, being a devout rock singer as such, but jazz is something I grew up around (thanks to my bro) and I’ve always had a soft spot for it. I often bemoan what I regard as a decline in melody in popular music and I wanted to sing melodies. Plus, I have a penchant for cover songs, it’s the surprise of singing something that I didn’t think of writing myself that turns me on.”
“Jazz got side-lined by Rock & Roll in the 60’s, but now the demise of rock seems to be heralding in a newfound interest in it, the most creative and innovative musical forms of the 20th century. I’m happy to jump on the bandwagon.”
She also explains the inspiration behind the album title: “A few years back when I saw an obit in the paper for the valve-trombonist, Bob Brookmeyer, I mailed my jazz sax-playing brother, saying ‘R. I. P. Bob Brookmeyer.’ Terry, a man of few words, responded with ‘Valve Bone Woe,’ a kind of Haiku beatnik prose.”
“I thought that was a perfect title for the album I’d been working on with producer Marius de Vries. After we’d recorded ‘I Wish You Love’ for the Eye Of The Beholder soundtrack I’d often expressed a desire to do more along those lines. What eventually emerged was the idea to do what we refer to as our Jazz/Dub album, the one you’re now holding in your hand.”
With the joint of the LA Philharmonic, Hynde will perform most tracks of the album at a special concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles this weekend on July 6. She will also perform at the BBC’s Proms In The Park in Hyde Park on September 14, and at the Royal Festival Hall for this year’s London Jazz Festival on November 24.
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