by William RuhlmannAn "unplugged" set without the MTV brand name, The Isle of View (say it fast a couple of times to catch the pun) presents songs by the Pretenders that already were the softest ones in their repertoire but here played on acoustic guitars and backed by the Duke String Quartet. Lead singer Chrissie Hynde's lyrics are slightly more discernible, and some of the songs are lovely. But they were to begin with, and Hynde and Co. have not really reimagined them for the acoustic format. Rather than deliberately picking ballads, Hynde might have tried rearranging some of her rockers to more interesting effect. Still, what's here is always pleasant and sometimes moving.