Hear Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders Reinvent the Kinks’ ‘No Return’, Off Her New Covers Album

On Sept. 6, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders will release Valve Bone Woe, a new collection of cover songs she’s recorded with fresh, jazz-styled influence.

One of the songs premiered this week, and Hynde’s take on the Kinks‘ “No Return” is really something else. Taken from the Kinks’ 1967 album Something Else By the Kinks, it’s a deep cut that ought to catch Kinks fan a bit off guard:

For comparison’s sake, here’s the original:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csgEMKs_vDg

Hynde, who had a daughter, Natalie, with Kinks front man Ray Davies in 1983, told Billboard she wasn’t actually familiar with the song at first, as it was picked for her album by producer Marius de Vries:

“It sounds like Ray Davies’ attempt — more than an attempt, it was a successful venture to do something along those lines,” says Hynde, who’s been quietly working on music in Brazil as well, most notably with singer Moreno Veloso. “I’ve been wanting to do stuff that’s more Brazilian,” Hynde says, “and some of that bled into this album.”

Other covers on Valve Bone Woe will find Hynde reinterpreting songs originally recorded by the Beach Boys (“Caroline, No”), Frank Sinatra (“I’m A Fool to Want You”), Nancy Wilson (“How Glad I Am)”, Johnny Mathis (“Wild Is the Wind”) and more.