Duets Special features Lucinda Williams, Dan Auerbach, Rufus Wainwright & others
Punk icon Chrissie Hynde has announced a new album as Chrissie Hynde & Pals titled Duets Special, on black vinyl, CD, and digitally on Friday, October 17th via Rhino. The album consists of 13 extraordinary duets featuring a host of world-class collaborators, including k.d. lang, the late Mark Lanegan, Dave Gahan, Cat Power, Brandon Flowers, Debbie Harry, Shirley Manson, Alan Sparhawk, and more. The first single, “Always On My Mind” featuring Rufus Wainwright, is streaming everywhere.
“I never thought about doing a duets album before,” Hynde shares. “I think the idea came about in 2023. I was talking to Jörn, Rufus Wainwright’s husband, on the phone. I think we were recommending novels to each other, and for some reason, I said Hey, maybe Rufus and I should do something, and quickly scribbled out 10 songs off the top of my head. So Jörn asked Rufus, who was up for it, and that’s how it started. A spontaneous and what I thought would be a fun thing.”
The artists who perform with Hynde on Duets Special celebrate 13 uniquely distinct voices through stripped-down, intimate arrangements and minimal, refined instrumentation. The theme connecting all of the songs is simply great melodies.
Duets Special isn’t just Chrissie Hynde’s fourth studio album under her name. The new record presents an exciting and unexpected left turn amidst one of the most creative chapters of her career. The project closely follows The Pretenders’ latest studio album, Relentless. The world tour that followed also created a new live record, Kick ’em Where It Hurts.
Outside of the studio, painting has become an inseparable part of Hynde’s creative life. In the last seven years, her artwork has been exhibited to acclaim in London, New York, and Massachusetts. It has also graced the sleeve of her 2019 album of cover versions, Valve Bone Woe, as motifs on garments in Vivienne Westwood’s Spring-Summer 2021 collection, and most recently through a new exhibition of paintings titled Hynde Sight. The latest installment, Hynde Sight II is currently open at Harvey & Woodd, Edinburgh, until August 23rd.
1. Me & Mrs Jones featuring k.d. lang
2. Can’t Help Falling In Love featuring Mark Lanegan
3. Sway featuring Lucinda Williams
4. Dolphins featuring Dave Gahan
5. First Of The Gang To Die featuring Cat Power
6. Always On My Mind featuring Rufus Wainwright
7. Every Little Bit Hurts featuring Carleen Anderson
8. I’m Not In Love featuring Brandon Flowers
9. It’s Only Love featuring Julian Lennon
10. Try To Sleep featuring Debbie Harry
11. County Line featuring Alan Sparhawk
12. Love Letters featuring Shirley Manson
13. (You’re My) Soul And Inspiration featuring Dan Auerbach
