The modern qualifiers of what it means to be a “bad bitch” may flaunt money, ass, and physical fleekness all over social media, but just a couple of decades ago, the sheer confidence and strength of being an independent femme was all it took. Chrissie Hynde, frontwoman of the Pretenders and one of the original four-piece’s two living members, is the ultimate bad bitch. As far as anyone’s concerned, there’s no Pretenders without Hynde, something she broaches within the lyrics of Alone, the group’s latest. Some of the tracks definitely imply that she prefers to fly solo, but that doesn’t mean she turned an icy shoulder to collaborator and fellow Ohioan Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, who lent his bluesy ears to the LP’s production. CERVANTE POPE