Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders have produced a song cycle that's easy to tap into if you've ever had a relationship go bad and finally figured out that you're actually okay! Chrissie Hynde has never sounded better--in fact, she's much like one of her own musical heroes--Emmylou Harris--and a bottle of fine wine; the older she gets, the more her talent evolves. True, she's not lashing out in an angry way like "Tattooed Love Boys" or "Pack It Up" from the early days, but she's still got a seductive prowl about her, and you can't deny that hers is a voice that simply commands you to attention.

I've loved the band since their infamous debut, and it's nice to see Chrissie's vision still playing out in a well-balanced set of songs.

...since I listened to the Pretenders. They sort of faded out for me in the late 80's, and I didn't care for their 90's stuff, even "Stand by You." Well, it looks like I came back at the right time. "Loose Screw" isn't the same sound they had in the early 80's, but that's not a bad thing. The band has managed to reinvent themselves without [fouling] up what they already had - namely Chrissie Hynde's powerful vocals and their ability to rock like few of today's sorry acts can. "Loose Screw" is the kind of Rock n' Roll that everyone else seems afraid of these days. It warms my heart to see the old guard showing the young turks how it's done. This album rocks.

I was REALLY worried when I started hearing about a new Pretenders CD. You see, everybody was comparing it to 1986's GET CLOSE....an album I HATE! Seriously, GET CLOSE is the only Pretenders release I cannot listen to! Then they started mentioning that it was heavily reggae-influenced and I didn't know WHAT to think! "At least they're on Artemis now" I reassured myself. Well, I needn't have worried....LOOSE SCREW is brilliant, a CD that is musically fresh, vocally stunning and lyrically breathtaking at times. Yes, it is the group's most mellow recording to date, but it works.....TOTALLY! The disc opens with "Lie To Me", the only true rocker. With it's sequenced chorus and biting lyrics, this song rages, but it's true beauty has to be Martin Chambers' powerful (yet sadly underrated) drumming. That is the core of "Lie To Me", and it's simply amazing. "Time" kind of bops along with it's reggae/soul/hip-hop mix. The true wonder of the song, though, has to be Hynde's voice; her vocal gymnastics are just awesome! All slow and sultry, then belting it out, she wraps her voice around these lyrics and doesn't let go. If there was ever any doubt that Hynde is as strong a singer as she is a songwriter, "Time" puts that question to rest. "You Know Who Your Friends Are" has a nice flow to it, taking an abrupt turn at the end. Beware of what you "Know!" "Complex Person" is a great song and single because it's a fresh and new sound for the Pretenders, yet at the same time really gives us insight into the mind of Chrissie Hynde: "I'm a very complex person/I try to improve but just see how I worsen/I'll do anything to make you adore me/Or deplore me/But never ignore me." With it's reggae groove and blunt lyrics, this has to be one of 2002's best singles. "Fools Must Die" harks back to the brash power-punk days, while "Kinda Nice, I Like It" is a horn-drenched R&B number that reminds us that, as far as love is concerned, there are times when we know it may be a mistake ("Everything about us looks wrong/But I swear/It feels right"), and our friends may know it ("Whispering is rude in public places/It's so obvious, it's written on their faces"), but we just don't give a damn....and we'll gladly pay the price. "Nothing Breaks A Heart" incorporates many of the reggae elements used elsewhere on the disc, but with a more delicate touch. All tinged in heartbreak, this swaying ballad showcases the after effects of regret ("When you walked out/At first I celebrated/But this footloose fancy free stuff's overrated"). With it's opening strings flowing into a kinetic beat and soaring vocal, "I Should Have" is another song about loss and regret (kind of a main theme on LOOSE SCREW!). Hynde sings "I should have tried a little harder/I should have cried a little louder/I should have lied with a little more aplomb/I,I,I,I,I,I should have known" with such passion and force that it's obvious this person still has complete power over her. They're still controlling her....sexually, emotionally, even almost spiritually. Chillingly beautiful.....or would that be beautifully chilling? "Clean Up Woman" is an interesting track. Twenty years ago, Hynde was the "Other Woman" in her classic "The Adultress", and she made no bones about it being a less-than-sterling position to be in. Now, all this time later, she seems to be flipping the coin and casting herself in the role of the woman who retained her cheating spouse. If we're to believe her, it wasn't all that great of a victory: "Women refuse to witness the kill/Of man's safari/And his battles of will/She washes the wounds/He sustains in his fight/She cradles him/In her arms all night." "I'm the cleaning woman/Here to clean up your mess", indeed! There's a delicacy to "The Losing" that harks back to the days of Burt and Hal. This minimally arranged ballad, with it's powerhouse vocal, is simply gorgeous. Special mention has to be made about the non-Hynde female backing vocals (a first, I think, on a Pretenders album?)....they add a totally new dimension to the Pretenders sound, and would be a wise (occassional) addition to future recordings. "Saving Grace" has an easy-going feel to it. With it's tender lyrics ("I really made a fool of myself/I hit the wall/But it never bothered you at all/My pony bolted out too soon/And left me howling at the moon"), we're reminded how much our loved ones can be there for us, be they lover, parents, siblings or children. With a full-bodied, poignant vocal from Hynde, this is one of those songs that stays in your head long after the CD ends. "Walk Like A Panther" ends the CD on a slinky note. Take a slitheringly sexy, breathy vocal from Hynde, mix it with a pulsating bass line and staccato percussion, then top it off with some minimally tasteful guitar, and you have what could very easily be the CD's second single. In closing, I just want to say LOOSE SCREW is a brilliant, fresh chapter in the history of a band that rarely disappoints, yet still frequently amazes!

It has been clear to me since The Pretenders recorded a version of "I Got You Babe" with UB40 and later when they made "How Do I Miss You?" on 1990's `Packed!' that the group could do a whole selection of reggae songs. The only thing that surprises me is that it took until their latest studio album `Loose Screw' to bring that prospect into fruition. Consisting of leading edge New Wave riffs brought to the New Millenium and half hybrid reggae, Chrissie Hynde and her crew (by now with the greatest longevity) mostly succeed while providing one of the most middle of the road albums in their nearly thirty year history. (Almost 25 if you're counting from the time of its release.)

Not as eclectic nor matching the vitality and quality of its predecessor `Viva El Amor!,' `Loose Screw' has plenty of tracks to treasure. Refusing to retreat into rehash, Chrissy's hypnotic admonition in the opener "Lie to Me" is edgy and singularly arty for its vocal demonstration of a pathological quest for the truth. Reggae pulsates with real resonance in "Time" and "Complex Person". If titles tell the whole story, then "Fools Must Die" (rock) and "Clean up Woman" (reggae) are quintessential Pretenders' tracks. While "Clean up Woman" is the least engaging of the reggae pop songs, it rings true to Chrissie Hynde's character and lyrics. "Fools Must Die," on the other hand, is arguably the C.D.'s best. Whether waxing about love or politics or both, Chrissie bluntly lets us know about War or her last boyfriend--or both.

Hynde, whom I can only describe as "The Wife of Bath of Rock N' Roll" (and that's indeed trifling given the "complex person" we've come to know), has always excelled with toughness and tenderness, innovation and tradition. Here it's no different. Sweetness excels with pop on "You Should Know Who Your Friends Are," "I Should Of," and (especially) "Saving Grace". "The Losing" is in the same vein, but, while not entirely expendable, is the weakest link on the chain gang. Ending the engaging album is "Walk Like a Panther," which does more than demonstrate the finesse of the band and the confidence of its leading lady.

I tried to be objective with this review. If you're like me, you take your Pretenders' music intravenously, so it's hard not to give full accolades for the band. Even as the C.D. reverberates in my head, nothing can take away the fix it gives me, even if objectively it isn't their best. (3.5 *'s)

(A couple of notes: The only other album comparable to this one in the Pretender files is `Packed,' which leaned more heavily on the sweet side, but lacked the edge of this work. I also have a rare contention with the Amazon review. It states: "Seldom does Chrissie Hynde lose her cool..." While most Amazon descriptions are a model of succinctness and integration, I respectfully disagree. I can think of at least one angry song from every Pretenders' album. Also, this album surprisingly has the most expletives of any Pretenders' albums. Taken in context, the delivery doesn't have near the pungency, however, of their debut.)

This album failed to do anything in the UK as did the singles You Know Who Your Friends Are and The Losing but both songs are brilliant.In fact the only song that failed to make a mark on me was Complex Person it just doesnt work.

The rest of the album however is Hynde at her best.Loud,Proud and full of Passion that not many lead female singers can pull off anymore.pity it only made #55 in the UK.