Heart's Rocking Return

Heart's Red Velvet Car is their great new album by original members Nancy and Ann Wilson. Haven't heard the title track to the new album? They performed it on NPR's World Cafe along with "Barracuda." And if you're mad about missing it live, I did as well. Toni told me about it after the fact so I streamed online.

And this is the opening to Christina Fuoco'-Karasinski's must read article for the Flint Journal (September 2nd):

With a new generation being introduced to Heart annually, thanks to the inevitable performance of “Alone” by “American Idol” contestants, the Wilson sisters are enjoying their popularity. Selling out theaters and amphitheaters around the United States, Heart is now introducing fans to new music courtesy of “Red Velvet Car,” a collection of songs that hit stores Tuesday. It is its first new studio album in six years.

“We’re real excited,” guitarist/singer Nancy Wilson said during an interview with The Flint Journal. “We’ve been setting it up since we finished it, really. It’s getting close to the time — as they say — it’ll ‘drop.’ (Laughs) It’ll drop. It sounds like somebody comes out of the sky and crashed into the Earth.

“In many ways, we’re so happy and proud of the album. In some ways, we don’t want it to drop. It’s almost like having a baby: ‘OK, then the real scary stuff starts.’ The baby comes into the world and some people don’t think it’s adorable. Hopefully most people will.”

It is more than adorable. It's muscular, steamy and rocking. It is a great album. I downloaded it (via iTunes) and you can hear snippets of songs. I think any song stands on its own -- even in a thirty second snippet -- however, the album's conclusion is "Sand" and that is so well done. (Most downloads come with bonus tracks but the album is ten tracks proper.)

If you go to iTunes or Amazon and just listen to a nsippet of "Sand," you'll be downloading it. It's an amazing track and I just love the whole album.

If I was writing my review today, I'd probably note that the key is they're not trying.

I don't know if you play an instrument or not. I play a little piano. It can apply to sports as well. I play a little tennis.

If I'm at the piano and thinking, "I will play this A flat with my right hand while playing B flat with my left and . . ." of if I've got a tennis ball flying at me and I'm thinking, "I will return this with a backhanded serve as I turn three-quarters . . ." then I'm not worth listening to or watching play.

And if I'm trying, I'm forcing it.

The Wilson sisters are just doing it. It's natural, they're in the zone and that's why it all works so well and their album is so amazing. They already 'tried' while they were writing songs. By the time they got to the studio, they were just doing it. And Red Velvet Car is proof of just how great they can be.


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