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**1/2 The Pretenders

THE ISLE OF VIEW

(Warner Bros.)

It's time to acknowledge that Chrissie Hynde's career has turned into a disappointment. The Pretenders' last moment of glory was Learning To Crawl, 12 years ago; there've been three spotty albums and a lot of downtime since. On last year's ironically titled Last of the Independents, Hynde was reduced to collaborating with song doctors, and the accompanying tour was a spirited-but-predictable oldies-based affair.

The Isle of View isn't an MTV-sponsored "unplugged" album but it sounds just like one, down to the oldies-heavy song list and the violins that stand in for electric guitar. Hynde's lost nothing as a singer; she can still pull off a youthful strut like "Brass in Pocket" while displaying the warmth and depth she's picked up over the years. And a couple of obscure gems are rescued from the last few Pretenders albums, notably the mystical "Hymn to Her" and the nitty-gritty "Chill Factor" (both from Get Closer). Still, these string-heavy arrangements subtract more than they add, with "Back on the Chain Gang" turning easy-listening and "2000 Miles" losing its original majesty; only a slow and somber "Kid" marks any improvement. The closing "Revolution" simply shows how far her writing has slipped lately.

**1/2 The Pretenders

THE ISLE OF VIEW

(Warner Bros.)

- Brett Milano