NEW ON CD
Ann and Nancy Wilson bring back their blend of acoustic and electric guitars on their new CD, "Jupiters Darling."
From the Heart
Once upon a time before the arrival of MTV's pop tarts, a legion of nonsingers who nevertheless manage to squeak out hit songs thanks to audio augmentation, there was a kingdom ruled only by men and a lone queen who could sing, really.
Her name was Ann Wilson, and she's back with her axe-wielding sister Nancy to teach a new generation how to rock without tantrums or strip-tease.
"Jupiters Darling"
Heart (Sovereign Artists)
The two have recently released "Jupiters Darling," the first Heart album in more than a decade.
I didn't know whether to greet that news with cheer or fear. I loved the first two Heart albums, "Dreamboat Annie" and "Little Queen," when they were released back when I was a tyke in 1976 and '77, but memories are often best left where they lie. Who doesn't cringe to think of Mick Jagger's attempts to co-opt current music trends? A parade of guest artists can't help him sell his solo discs.
I was relieved to find pure Heart at "Jupiters Darling's" core, familiar but contemporary, but with no attempt to pander to those weaned on hip-hop, ska or rap. The entire disc has the energy and force of musicians who simply enjoy making music and have nothing to prove. After all, the sisters, through more than a dozen albums, have had 21 Top 40 hits and sold 30 million records.
There's no doubt the sisters influenced a generation of musicians in their hometown of Seattle and beyond, and with jobs for rockers in short supply these days, some of those musicians join them on this disc: Among them are Mike Inez and Jerry Cantrell, of Alice in Chains, and Mike McCready, of Pearl Jam.
Heart's signature has always been a blend of acoustic and electric guitars, of masculine and feminine energy, and just as the band could deliver the growl and thundering guitars of "Barracuda" with the romanticism of "Dog and Butterfly," "Jupiters Darling" balances yin with yang.
My first impression was the disc lacks the hooks of newer bands, with their sound-bite savvy. But then, Heart never did have the lyrical hooks that might have raised them to the ranks of an Aerosmith or AC/DC. The most radio-friendly tunes are the opening tune "Make Me," "Perfect Goodbye," "I Give Up" and "Enough," the last in a saccharine balladeer's way.
"Make Me" opens with finger-picking on steel strings before launching into full electricity and a by-the-books rock hit, while the disc's second tune, "Oldest Story in the World," highlights the dirgelike rhythms that defined the "Seattle sound," heavy metal a la Led Zeppelin with a dose of storm-cloud melancholy.
It's no secret the sisters imagined themselves to be the female equivalent of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, and the Zeppelin influence is evident in a half-dozen songs with Ann's voice in fine form, un-enhanced by pitch correction, they report in press materials. It's a sad state of music when the ability to sing has become a point of differentiation among bands.
"Oldest Story" gives way to the jangly hootenanny of "Things," a fun sing-along that opens with chatter and a false start, and ends with giggling (it might not be discernible with some audio equipment).
Nancy Wilson never sang as much as she does here. The moody "I Need the Rain" showcases her voice's kittenish delicacy paired with the lush beauty of mandolin and acoustic guitar. She takes a rare turn as a rocker on "I'm Fine," in which she's as shrill as a terrier trying to impersonate a Rottweiler, but it turns out to be a credible rant about her real-life studio meltdown.
My favorite of the disc's 16 tunes is a true '70s-style song, "Lost Angel."
"Stardust, yeah we are ... Love bring your birds, bring your feathers of peace, all through the storm that the tides release."There's an innocence in those hippie sentiments rarely heard today.
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