Jeff Beck performs at Shepher’s Bush Empire in London. Photo by Nicky J. Sims/Redferns. As you no doubt already know, legendary guitarist Jeff Beck died. There have been countless remembrances of his life and music, including in this publication, so I don’t want to reiterate all that. Instead, I’d…

More than four decades in, the Pretenders have a sound. Like Willie Nelson or Louis Armstrong, lead singer Chrissie Hynde has a voice that’s instantly recognizable. The jangly, slightly overdriven guitar sound of James Honeyman-Scott, who passed away in 1982, influenced everyone from R.E.M.’s Peter Buck to The Smith’s…

Chrissie Hynde, “Valve Bone Woe.” Can you imagine outspoken all-time great rocker and Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde, buddy of the Sex Pistols, in a smoke-filled room, wearing a low-slung, sparkly tassled dress and a headband, crooning jazz? Valve Bone Woe Chrissie Hynde BMG Records, Sept. 6 Maybe not before…