Tacoma Weekly: Red Velvet Car Review

Heart has created a lasting legacy for their work as veritable hard rockers of the late 70s, 80s, 90s and they continue to carry out their musical endeavors today.

Heart keeps their retro hard rocking ways alive on their first studio album in six years “Red Velvet Car.” Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are a little older now, a little wiser, and it shows. They say at this stage in their life they’ve got nothing to prove, which means “Red Velvet Car” is some of their most intimate, heartfelt and honest work to date.

Based almost solely in the sounds of acoustic stringed instruments, the Wilsons (accompanied with producer and musician Ben Mink) created a solid 10-track album that is a far cry from what many associate with “acoustic guitar music.”

Using a variety of instruments from throughout the world (including guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, fiddle, viola, cello and autoharp) the artists create a complex layering of sound that doesn’t shy away from Heart’s rocking roots. Classic vocal harmonies carry the Wilsons through their heartfelt perspectives on life and music.

Ann is a little more reserved vocally than in her heyday of piercing vocal riffs, and both women wear their age well – they are not trying to hold on too tightly to the past but aren’t trying to completely re-invent themselves, either.

Starting out big with “There You Go,” “Red Velvet Car” takes off on a ride through what is the culmination of the Wilsons’ personal lives and professional careers as musicians.

At times, Heart is brazen and full of energy, others they are calm and introspective, sometimes even woeful in their interpretations. Always, their musicianship, purpose and delivery are right on.

“Hey You” and “Sunflower” take on the more mellow, folksy sounds of the woman who clearly were influenced by the flowerchild, free loving ways of the 1960s.

“Wheels” has a racing pace that harkens back to Heart’s 1977 hit “Barracuda” as Ann’s husky, raspy vocals belt out lyrics about taking off on the road. “We’ll run together/We’ll run forever / Out of here/ Riding the wheels.”

Closing song "Sand" is a newly recorded version of a song originally written and recorded by the Lovemongers, Ann and Nancy's 1990s acoustic side project.

As the 13th studio album for the band, its successful debut in August 2010 makes “Red Velvet Car” the most successful chart debut for a Heart album in their career. Heart is currently on tour in support of the album.


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Back in the Drivers Seat: A Review of Red Velvet Car

It's been a long time since the Wilson sisters produced what I would describe as a classic Heart studio album, or one that has a home in the old Muirsical Box of goodies, but Heart's new album 'Red Velvet Car' has both of those boxes ticked.

What I find most satisfying - and pleasantly surprising - is Ann and Nancy Wilson have not taken the easy retro-rock route and tried to reinvent Heart's successful mid to late 1980s period. It may have been tempting, but surely not as musically rewarding. That melodic rock era was a huge success for Heart and the album of the same name was a multi-platinum seller. They continued that trend with their next two releases, but as the melodic 80s made way for the alternative 90s they suffered the same fate as many similar acts - diminishing returns and less cohesive releases.

A number of classic rock acts have revisited 80s melodic rock for inspiration or to try and recapture their successful past, but here Heart have gone back beyond their melodic rock years and returned to their musical roots. They have captured the vibe and sound of their early acoustic rock releases as featured on their 1976 debut 'Dreamboat Annie', the following year's 'Little Queen' and the classic 'Dog & Butterfly'. They have also managed to revisit without repeating, which is a third tick in the box for me.

There are clear musical references to the albums mentioned above, but you won't hear the same melodies or chord structures repeated on 'Red Velvet Car'. What you will hear are well crafted, well arranged songs and as much as this release is a perfect companion to the aforementioned albums, it could only have been written thirty years on. Like Heart themselves it's an older and wiser album, built on personal and musical growth. It may well also be their most mature release to date.

The album does carry a number of heavier or edgier moments where the band gets to rock out - 'WTF' is a great example - but it's the introspective or quieter moments that set the tone and produce the album's strongest tracks. The ten track album (in its base release form - see later) is short but sweet - and a clear case of where less is more. Highlights include the title track, 'There You Go Again' with its Stevie Nicks-esque groove and 'Sand'. 'Sand' is a reworking of a song Ann and Nancy did with 'The Lovemongers', the band the sisters put together in the nineties with Sue Ennis (who co-wrote some of the material on 'Dog & Butterfly'). This is a similar and lovely version which closes out the album's ten tracks.

The ten track album description is a little misleading however. Depending on what version you have/ hear, the track listing and track order will vary as the U.S. and European versions differ and carry bonus tracks. There are three bonus tracks on the Stateside downloadable version but (rather annoyingly) only two on the European CD version. All three - the ballads 'Closer to the Sun', 'In the Cool' and the quirky 'Bootful of Beer' - deserve a place on the album.

As regards the band, special mention should go to Ann Wilson. I believe her to be the finest female vocalist in the world of rock and she shines on this album, musically and vocally comfortable within the songs. I'm pleased to say her six-string sister Nancy still takes the occasional lead, being none too shabby in front of a microphone herself. The classic line-up is long gone, but the Heart sound of the last few years has been alive and well courtesy of Ann, Nancy, Ben Smith (drums), Craig Bartock (guitars), Debbie Shair (keyboards) and Rick Markmann (bass).

If your memories or affection for Heart relate to that big hair and spandex era (and that was just the guys in the band) and you're looking for another 'What About Love' or three then this album may not be for you. But if you always wished Ann and Nancy would do a throwback album to their formative and most creative decade, then this is an essential purchase. It's certainly an album after my own...Heart.


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LezGetReal: Review of Red Velvet Car

It has been six years since the release of Jupiter’s Darling, and as with that album, I was nervous and concerned about the announcement of a new Heart album. I began listening to Heart back in 1984 with the release of their self titled album Heart, and I have not stopped listening to them ever since even though I have changed how I listen to them. When Jupiter’s Darling came out, I preordered the CD. When Red Velvet Car came out, I downloaded it to my computer and played it on my iPod.

The songs of Red Velvet Car range across the spectrum. The songs range from slow ballads such as “Sand” to harder rock driven songs such as “WTF”.  Perhaps the best song on the album is the melodious and dream-like “Sand”, which actually had me closing my eyes and just enjoying the flow of the song. “Sand” is one of those songs that has the power to pull the listener in and transport them somewhere else with its simple lyrics and its acoustic flavor. The song is a tribute to Ann’s late gardener. It is reminiscent of their song “Love Alive,” or more accurately, of their song “Too Long A Time”, which has only ever been heard in a bonus track on Little Queen. It is Heart at their best.

Unlike so much music today which seems poorly mixed with an emphasis more on upping the loudness than anything else, Red Velvet Car had a stronger emphasis on the harmony of the music and the vocals of Ann Wilson, whose voice is as strong as it has ever been as Heart goes into the last half of its third decade in production.

Included in the download are three specials. There is the video for “WTF”, which is mostly concert footage, and two live classic Heart tracts. The live tracts are “Magic Man” and “Never”. The latter is often not heard in live compilations.

Ultimately, Red Velvet Car is stronger than their last album, Jupiter’s Darling. Its mix of different styles suits Ann Wilson’s voice beautifully, and the songs, for the most part, compliment each other.

Heart continues to be a strong recording force. As one of the first female-fronted Rock bands, they blazed a trail for many later artists. While there were many problems for them in the beginning, the group, which has featured sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson since their first album Dreamboat Annie, has managed to shift and survive through changes in the music scene. Let us hope that we do not have to wait another six years for the next Heart album.


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Classic Acts Deliver New Discs

Ann Wilson used to like to unnerve the male members of the various local bands in her native Seattle by belting out Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” with a ferocity that matched Robert Plant’s original vocal. Along with her sister Nancy, their band, Heart, recorded a string of successful albums such as 1976’s “Dreamboat Annie” and “Dog & Butterfly” from 1978.

Heart hit the comeback trail in the mid-80s, and songs like “These Dreams” and “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” extended their string of hits into the early ‘90s. After an extended break, Heart returns with “Red Velvet Car” (Legacy), an album packed with acoustic ballads and determined rockers that bear the indelible shimmer of the Wilsons’ melodic, still spine-tingling harmonies.

Wilson’s voice barely hints at how much time has passed since she first belted out “Magic Man” more than 30 years ago, and the equally theatrical “Safronia’s Mark” is a wide-eyed, rousing rocker in the same vein. Her sister Nancy still knows how to convincingly emote on “Hey You,” an especially tuneful performance that harks back to the sound of the band’s ‘80s power ballads. And despite the fact that the title track and “Death Valley” are by-the-numbers rockers, the pair of songs that close the album, the engaging “Sunflower” and the reflective “Sand” find Ann and Nancy Wilson still more than capable of upstaging any of their male contemporaries.


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Oregon Music News: Fasten Your Seatbelts, Heart’s “Red Velvet Car” is Revving Its Way Up the Charts

For over three decades, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have charted the course for Seattle-based, hard-rock band, Heart. In their first new album since 2004, Red Velvet Car is said to be their most personal and powerful work to date, returning to their hard rock roots with a largely acoustic-based sound. See them perform with Night Ranger this Friday, September 24th at the Sleep Country Amphitheater.

Arena rock legends, Ann and Nancy Wilson, were among the first female musicians taken seriously in a man’s world for their songwriting and instrument playing abilities when Heart debuted Dreamboat Annie in 1976. They were pioneers, creating a musical space where gender was not a part of the equation in performing heavy rock.

With most women in music performing folk, disco or singer/songwriter styles in the 70s and 80s, there were few women musicians to look up to as role models in the rock world. Since “no one told them they weren’t supposed to,” they looked to Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and The Beatles for inspiration and found success as professional musicians. They were considered serious rockers with Ann having one of the most distinctive and masterful voices with a remarkable three octave range, and Nancy having real chops and becoming one of the first women to grace Guitar Player Magazine in December, 1979.

Die-hard Beatles fans, “We didn’t want to be the girlfriends of The Beatles, we wanted to BE the Beatles,” shared Nancy at a recent Grammy Museum Live event speaking about their influences and the revolution they believe is still underway for women in the rock world to be seen as equals to their male counterparts.

Considered one of the top 100 hard rock of artists of all time and having sold over 30 million records, their arena rock hits include “Magic Man,” “Crazy On You,” “Barracuda,”  ”Dog and Butterfly,” and power ballads “What About Love,” “These Dreams,” and “Alone,” to name a few.

Throughout their career, Heart maintained creative control over the music they released, with the exception of the 80’s.  Pressured by label management to perform more commercially accessible songs and blend in with the sounds and styles of the time, Heart succumbed to the pressure of MTV’s halcyon days.  While the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in 1985 with the album Heart selling 5 million copies, for a band used to having their own voice, the success was somewhat hollow given they were performing songs written by other people.

“We were definitely making a devil’s bargain in the Eighties, and looking back I’m glad we did because it did allow us to transit over a period when we could have fallen into a black hole,” Ann Wilson explains on the band’s website. “But we wouldn’t want to go back there and make any more music we don’t feel totally connected to. And now with this album, we feel like we have something very solid to stand on.”

Heart is among the rock legend elite to have a career successfully spanning three decades and still be releasing new material.  Their latest album, Red Velvet Car, is the first since 2004’s Jupiter’s Darling.  Entering Billboard’s 200 Best Selling album charts at #10 on August 31^st, this marks their seventh appearance in the Top 10 and the album is receiving high marks from die-hard fans (known as Heart Mongers), as well as music critics across the country who feel the band have found their way back to their roots.

The songs on Heart’s 13^th studio album came about organically, “starting with a groove and easy to write,” inspired by the world around them and personal experiences.  The acoustic arrangements highlight a wide variety of strings that include guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, fiddle, viola, cello and autoharp; all played by Nancy Wilson and the album’s producer, multiple Grammy nominee and long-time k.d. lang collaborator, Ben Mink.

WTF: “It started like a jam, like that song by Cream “SWLABR.” Later when I wrote the words, they were really angry and they just blasted out of me, like I might have just as well said, “What the fuck?” (ANN) Craig had that amazing guitar part, and then Ann came in with this scream of lyrics. I thought maybe the song was about someone else, but then the other day Ann mentioned it’s kind of the way you talk to yourself. Basically, it’s intense, and to me it’s about making mistakes and how hard it is to stay human.” – (NANCY) Ann refers to WTF as “Son of Barracuda.”

RED VELVET CAR: “When I first said those words, I knew it right away that it was a phrase worth using in a song. Sue Ennis – our friend and our co-writer from way back – was in town and really needed a rescue from the Hollywood hotel where she was attending a seminar. I said, “Are you kidding me? I’d come get you in a red velvet car. I wrote it down immediately. Ann took that title and ran it. – (NANCY) Nancy is like Ringo in that sense. She’s always been great at coming up with cool turns of phrase that don’t really need to be explained because they communicate something powerfully. Musically, I’ve got to give it to Ben Mink, because I wanted the song to have that R&B sensuality to it, but also something fresh, and I think together, we got it.” – (ANN)

The album’s closer, “Sand,” is a newly recorded version of a song originally written and recorded by the Lovemongers, Ann and Nancy’s 1990′s acoustic side project.

Other side projects for the sisters have included solo efforts, a recording studio in the 90’s called Bad Animals and movie scores. Nancy has played a role composing music for most of husband Cameron Crowe’s films including Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, and Elizabethtown. In addition, both have made the time to make family a priority and raise children.


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The Weekender: Heart Retains Classic Energy

Thirty-four years after Heart burst onto the scene with the multi-platinum “Dreamboat Annie” and forever changed the landscape for women in rock, it would be easy to count them out as over-the-hill and irrelevant. But the Wilson sisters still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

“Red Velvet Car” is the band’s first new material since 2004’s “Jupiter’s Darling.” Having built a career on creating a fusion of folky acoustics and Led Zeppelin’s hard rock dynamics, Heart enters 2010 as energetic as ever and successfully follows the same path. The band still plays both ends of the musical spectrum right out of the gate, but it never loses sight of its strengths.

The CD opens with the acoustic-based “There You Go” before ripping into “WTF,” a song with a killer riff that harkens back to the ass-kicking guitar sound of “Barracuda” and “Crazy On You.” The acoustic songs such as the title track and the bouncy “Hey You” (with vocals by Nancy Wilson) sound both intimate and intricate, aided by the detailed production of Canada’s Ben Mink. Flipping over to the hard rock side of the coin, “Wheels” and “Death Valley” place the electric guitar front and center, right where it belongs on any great Heart recording.

Ann Wilson still hits every note every time. Her performance is spot-on for the mandolin-tinged “Safronia’s Mark,” proving that recently turning 60 hasn’t drained one ounce of power out of her vocal chords. The closing track, “Sand,” was originally released on the Wilson sisters’ Lovemongers project in 1997 but gets a fresh take and ends “Red Velvet Car” on an upbeat note without sounding sappy or maudlin.

Most of the band’s fans would never have bet on “Red Velvet Car,” Heart’s 13th studio album, to sound both diverse and dynamic, but it’s as strong as anything in the band’s catalog. Luckily, the band has matured past the ’80s bombast phase that alienated many of the original fans by drifting too far into overproduced pop territory. Perhaps this is the album that should have come out between “Dog & Butterfly” and “Little Queen.” Heart is a band that doesn’t just sound like it’s looking in the rearview mirror. After 34 years, the band still has something to say.

Rating: W W W W


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Goldmine Magazine: Heart Hits Trademark Sound With 'Red Velvet Car'

4-Star Rating :D

Heart’s first album since 2004’s “Jupiter’s Darling” gets off to a bluesy start with “There You Go,” but soon kicks into high gear with towering vocals of “WTF,” meaning the record mixes it up between Heart’s trademark acoustic sound and good old-fashioned rocking out.

Now, there might not be enough of latter for those of you who prefer Heart in “Crazy On You” mode. “Safronia’s Mark” is the best at capturing the old fire, starting out slow, but steadily building in intensity, and “Wheels” and “Death Valley” are both upbeat, the latter featuring an especially strong vocal workout (and both Ann and Nancy Wilson are in fine vocal form throughout the album).

The rest of the album is in a more laid-back vein. Producer Ben Mink (who also performs on the album), highlights the musical skills on display as fully as the voices, emphasizing the point that Heart was always a band, not some singers with a backing group. “Queen City” drags a bit, and is least interesting lyrically, and at 10 songs the album feels short. But the smoldering “Red Velvet Car,” the pretty acoustics of “Hey You,” and the poignant, heartbreaking “Sand” (a re-recorded version of a song by the Wilsons “alter-ego” band, the Lovemongers), should make Heart fans happy that the band’s finally has new material on offer.


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Heart Has Plenty Of It As Sisters Approach 60

My absolute favourite review. This was just breathtaking to read. Enjoy :)

Not only does Heart even it up; they kick it out on their introspective, lifetime-in-the-making, spanking new disc, “Red Velvet Car.”

Seattle's rock chick siblings (Ann and Nancy Wilson, 60 and 56, respectively) prove they are still better rock 'n' roll role models than most pop stars half their age. Not only do they have longevity (selling more than 30 albums and scoring 21 Top 40 hits in a career that spans 34 years), they have integrity to boot.

In the mid-'70s, Heart built a reputation as the premier, hard-driving, rock 'n' roll band fronted by two strong-willed pagan goddesses. In the mid-'80s, the sisters became teased-hair, corset-wearing video vixens and mega-selling, pop-rock hit makers. And, for a while in the '90s, the Wilsons established themselves as the female equivalent of Bon Jovi. Who said rock 'n' roll wasn't an equal-opportunity business. Heart's 13th studio release, “Red Velvet Car” is a return to the sisters' breakthrough 1976 release, “Dreamboat Annie,” without being a maudlin or half-hearted affair.

Sounding like they're performing around a bubbling cauldron, the two bewitching sisters prove they still have plenty of mojo on the foreboding opener, “There You Go.” As elder stateswomen who have seen it all, they offer worldly wisdom for young up-and-comers whose lives are on the fast track and (whether they know it or not) spinning out of control. Ann Wilson weaves together this cautionary tale of tawdry success and toxic excesses with her smoky, alluring voice, while kid sister Nancy delivers earthy and organic acoustic guitar riffs and enchanting harmonies.

The powerhouse duo shows why Heart was always the closest thing to a female equivalent of Led Zeppelin on the confident, cocksure rocker, “WTF.” With her howling, Robert Plant-like vocals, Ann surmises, “The hardest thing you'll ever learn is what bridge to cross and what bridge to burn.” So when in doubt, burn everything to the ground. Ann Wilson is mesmerizing as the emasculating marauder while ax-wielding sister Nancy shifts from serious Jimmy Page-inspired blue riffage to Pete Townshend power chord crunch. Although this adrenaline-pumping offering is all too brief, it single-handedly flattens any misgivings left over from Heart's cheesy '80s past (even though Heart at their cheesiest still runs circles around most of today's prefabrication pop divas at their best).

Ann Wilson is a combination chauffeur, savior and survivor on the bluesy, acoustic-tinged title track, “Red Velvet Car.” Tender but tough as nails, Ann passionately cries with the power and conviction to wipe away all the tears and years of misery and self-doubt. Never have the words, “I'm coming for you/I'm coming for you/I'm coming for you” sounded so reassuring and welcome as they do here. In the end, “Red Velvet Car” is a combination of holy apparition and a godsend of a number.

From Jimi Hendrix to grunge (with Heart prominently falling somewhere in between), Ann and Nancy Wilson are both very familiar with the rich musical legacy of their native Seattle (and, if they weren't, I'm sure Nancy's hubby, Cameron Crowe would fill them in if he had to). With the fiery, psychedelic rocker “Queen City,” the Wilsons take the listener on a whirlwind tour of the Seattle of their restless rock 'n' roll youth, concluding that there's something in the air that entices fellow Seattleians to become rock stars. Nancy Wilson shines as the passionate, poetic and poignant paramour smitten by the intoxicated effects of love and, later, reeling from the lingering aftereffects of love lost on the '60s-inspired folk-rocker, “Hey You.” At first, a guitar chiming Nancy Wilson is deliciously sweet and spacey declaring, “Swear by my September stars/I will go where you are going/Forever's never very far/As my love is overflowing.” Then, when the romance turns sour, she snaps, “Did you tangle with the trees/Did it bring you to your knees/Have you had enough of me/Hey you.” In addition to being emotionally rich and satisfying, it's one of the album's true highlights.

Ann and Nancy Wilson burn some rubber and leave the neon lights and the shiny people in the dust on the wanderlust opus, “Wheels.” Accompanied by revved-up guitar chords, locomotive bass lines and rumbling drum beats, Ann advises, “Just close your eyes now/And breathe a sigh now/We're going out of here/Out of here/Riding the wheels.” You can practically smell the petrol fumes on this high-octane rocker.

With its twangy acoustic guitars and impassioned vocals, “Safronia's Mark” has all the makings of being a “Dreamboat Annie” for the new millennium. Ann Wilson delivers a richly told story about heartbreak and human frailty as evident in the lines, “Though her eyes are far away she looks at you/Through her windows darkly she don't see/Her face is like a door you wanna walk on through/'Cause something deep inside just might belong to you.”

“Sunflower,” a song Nancy Wilson wrote about her sister and gave her as a birthday gift, is a deeply delicate and loving ode from someone who obviously has a deep connection with the subject-matter. Nancy's sensual, earth-mother musings and dreamy delivery give Sheryl Crow a run for the neo-hippie troubadour title.

Originally done on the Wilson sisters' acoustic-based offshoot project “The Lovemongers” back in 1990, “Sand” certainly deserves another shot to be heard and discovered. Ann Wilson sings, “A trick of light upon our eyes/A trick of time upon our lives/Ancient songs cry out to you/Surely this sweet sand is slipping through.”

Alas, life is fleeting but the hope that this is not the last we hear of Heart springs eternal.


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Kat's Korner: Heart's Smooth Ride

Another great and lengthy review! :)


"How much talking does it take to talk about your bad mistakes?" asks/howls Ann Wilson on the second track of Red Velvet Car. Fortunately, she's more interested in rocking than talking.

It was America's bicentennial. My oldest niece was in a panic because she had to do a diorama of Betsy Ross creating the American flag. And it was summer school because she'd goofed off. The project was due the next day and, due to the slacking that landed her in summer school, she didn't really feel she could go to her parents on this one which is how we ended up hitting all the dime stores in the area looking for anything that could be used in the diorama.

Finding some of the basics wasn't too difficult. There was some generic bears and Goldie Locks package with a table and chairs. We could use one of the chairs for Betsy to sit on. Since it was 1976, finding flags everywhere in all sizes and forms (including the original 13 stars one) was no problem. But we couldn't find any Betsy. Finally, it came down to Malibu Barbie or the Bionic Woman. We went with Lindsey Wagner. Back at the apartment, I called my friend Lou who could sew anything and told her we had a 12 inch doll we needed a colonial costume for. While she got busy on that, I dug the wedge heel boots out of my closet. They were then dumped on the floor as I turned the box they came in over to my niece to use for her stage and backdrop.

We were rushing around like crazy and just when everything -- including giving Lindsey Wagner 'colonial hair' -- was coming together, Heart's "Crazy On You" comes blaring over the radio. We did air guitar and sang along. It was a song you couldn't escape on AOR (Album Oriented Rock) radio that summer. The diorama ended up perfect and my niece passed summer school with flying colors.

Two weeks ago, while I'm on the road, she calls me up and says, "Aunt Kat, remember . . ." And recounts the story above which I do remember very well. We were laughing as we took turns adding details to the story. I asked her what brought all this back and she told me she'd just downloaded Red Velvet Car.

That's Heart's new album, their first studio album since 2004. Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are back and the best news for Heart fans are that they're rocking out.

From her first notes on "There You Go," Ann's demonstrating that she still stands with the vocal giants Janis Joplin and Robert Plant. And no one can bend a voice like Ann. She's got the notes, she's got the power, she's got the shading. This woman remains the finest voice -- man or woman -- in rock music today.

With Ann and Nancy and various revolving members, Heart's added various tracks to the rock canon -- "Magic Man," "Heartless," "What About Love," "Alone," "Never," "All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You" and "Barracuda" among them. In the process, they were a rarity, women who could get played on AOR. Rock radio found no woman worthy after the death of Janis Joplin. They briefly flirted with Joni Mitchell but that was really it for the first half of the decade. Along came Ann and Nancy and Christine and Stevie. Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks who were getting airplay on the songs they wrote for Fleetwood Mac such as "Rhiannon," "Landslide," "Dreams," "Gold Dust Women," "Sisters of the Moon," "Sara," "Sugar Daddy," "Don't Stop," "Say You Love Me," "You Make Loving Fun" and "Think About Me."

To be a woman who loved rock then was something glorious. While Joni, Carly Simon and assorted other women certainly rocked as hard as Elton John and other light-rock men played on AOR, because they were women, they didn't get the airplay. A woman had to rock it twice as hard as the average guy to get the airplay. As the seventies were winding down and the eighties were reving up, many AOR stations would end the year with a rundown of the most requested songs. The top three from 1981 to 1983 more or less remained the same. There was Led Zep's guitar classic "Stairway To Heaven," of course. But the real news was that Heart's "Barracuda" from 1977 was holding on and that the new battling titan was Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen." Stevie was doing solo work (such as that song) and Fleetwood Mac work. And it looked like women might achieve parity. Then AOR, still calling itself AOR, quickly got lost in the Miami Vice synthesizer sounds and women were pretty much locked out except for Stevie and the Wilson sisters who'd already earned their stripes during the briefly open window.

Heart caught a lot of flack in the mid-80s when they returned to the pop charts (they'd been played on AOR even when they weren't having hits). They were accused of selling out because they had a synth sound on many tracks, because they were working with outside writers other than Sue Ennis, because they were having hits. I'd rather hear "Alone" than Glen Frey's "You Belong To The City" and would argue it has more honest emotion than any thing Frey, Phil Collins, Don Johnson (yes, kiddies, he was briefly a radio star) served up at the same time. Was it everything I wanted from Heart? No. But neither was the latest from Aerosmith which was also working with outside writers, also adding synths but not getting any of the flack Heart so regularly did.

I knew it was over for them, their pop chart run, when I first heard "All I Want To Do Is Make Love To You." I knew it because young kids were singing the chorus and really into it. But they hadn't caught the song yet. When they did? It was a period of mindless material and when they caught on to the plot twist and realized the song had a little more to say than rah-rah-get-your-rocks-off, that was it.

Heart continued the formula that had brought them back on to the pop charts for a little bit longer, they started a sidegroup (Lovemongers) and then, when most people didn't expect it, Heart released one of their finest albums: The Road Home. Not only did they serve up some of their 70s classics, they brought more rock into their 80s hits and via "Up On Cherry Blossom Road" demonstrated that Heart was never, ever to be counted out.

It also served to announce that, hell or high water, Ann and Nancy were together. And now here they are with Red Velvet Car and the album's already a top ten Billboard hit. Possibly because it sounds a lot like The Road Home if that had been a studio album, meaning the music is the bedrock, natural music, real music, performed by actual people.

"Sunflower" is a song Nancy takes lead on and she slips right into the groove doing instinctively what Sheryl Crow appeared to be after (but never quite accomplishing) on Wildflower. In fact, to be the ultimate in classic radio, all this song is missing is harmony vocals from David Crosby. The album's classic, however, is "Sand." This 1997 song the sisters wrote with Sue Ennis and Frank Cox is the standout of this album. And it's a testament to how strong the album is that it's the closing track. (If you buy the disc at a store, it's the closing track. If you download from iTunes -- I did -- you get two additional studio songs and a video; download at Amazon and you get a video bonus as well as live versions of "Never" and "Magic Man.")

The whole album builds to that moment and there's not a track that has you reaching for the remote to skip it. "Safronia's Mark" would have been a strong Heart song and performance on any album. In fact, listening to it, you might find yourself wishing Stevie Nicks would cover it on her upcoming album. It would be a comfortable fit because the Wilson sisters and Stevie didn't just prove women could rock back in the seventies, they did so without resorting to the "I hate girls" pose that so many would be rocking women have attempted over the years. Whereas many men and the pud-teasers like the Runaways made sure women felt they were at a concert to serve men, the Wilsons and Stevie, with their songs and their performances, always telegraphed, "This is your rock party too. Have fun." So how appropriate that the title song is one of friendship and rescue. Ann hollers, "Just call and tell me where you are.'' And she hollers it with such strength, you just know she and that Red Velvet Car she's coming in are going to be able to protect you. And that's part of what makes the album such a smooth ride.


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Metal Odyssey: Red Velvet Car is 100% Pure Classic Heart

This incredible review needs a page unto itself. ♥


Ann and Nancy Wilson have revived their very own Classic Rock roots, to such an extent that Red Velvet Car is unmistakably 100% pure Heart Classic Rock. I don’t think I can hear a single note on this new Heart album to tell me otherwise. Released on August 31, 2010, on Sony Legacy, Red Velvet Car is the thirteenth studio release from Heart. This new album of Heart songs won’t reveal an Even It Up from 1980′s Bebe le Strange, nor will you hear anything remotely close to What About Love, from their 1985 self titled album Heart. What I hear is Ann and Nancy Wilson making a triumphant return to the sound that captured my very own heart, some thirty plus years ago.

Throughout the decades, I’ve listened to so many bands try to reinvent themselves, through sound, style and/or persona. Sure, Heart may have dabbled in some of their very own “change” in the mid 1980′s, only it was never drastic enough for these two incredibly talented sisters to cease making memorable Rock Music. I went along for that stylistic ride back in 1985… seeing Heart in the arena setting of The Hartford Civic Center, with the ever charismatic Autograph as the opening act. There was always a place for Heart… in my Metal heart, ever since my first album of theirs was spinning on my turntable, that album being Bebe le Strange.

While there are those bands that changed and never recovered, there are still other’s that seem to have forgotten their Rock ‘N’ Roll roots with an almost defiant glee in their eyes. Not Ann and Nancy… not Heart. These two gals have taken not just a piece of their Rock ‘N’ Roll past for Red Velvet Car, they have taken it all and this album essentially salutes it with a double high five… throughout all ten songs. As I took a ride inside the Rock Music of Red Velvet Car, I not only took a ride into the Classic Rock past, I am also taking a ride into the Classic Rock present of Heart for as the legendary Bob Seger has sung… “Rock ‘N’ Roll never forgets”.

Ann Wilson’s vocals on each and every song she sings comes through with the same spirit and resonance as the earliest of Heart albums. To listen to Heart’s 1976 debut album, Dreamboat Annie, immediately following Red Velvet Car is quite the Rockin’ treat, realizing that both albums are nearly 35 years apart is astonishing. The same can be said for Nancy Wilson’s guitar, being over three decades removed from Dreamboat Annie doesn’t seem real when the similarities in sound, style and fresh energy are so comparable.

There is even a slight demo-esque feel and quality about Red Velvet Car that makes it all the more alluring to me, whether this is intentional or not, the end result separates this album from having that overly polished and deliberate commercial gloss. From the onset, There You Go sets the tone as to the exact direction Red Velvet Car steers towards. There You Go is acoustically brash with an attitude usually reserved for a hungry up and coming Rock band, only this is Heart in 2010 and thus they are rejuvenated with their song writing. It only get better…

WTF has Nancy’s guitar tone emanating the feeling and desire of 1977′s Barracuda, making me wish I owned a vintage Chevy Nova jacked up and ready to go for that Summertime road trip to the beach. If WTF doesn’t grab you, then you have never listened to Heart before. Ann sounds as invigorated and Rockalicious as ever on the song Red Velvet Car… velvet vocals and all. If I am to drift off into Heart never, never land… then this is the song to bring me there.

Alright, this is the “stand up” and get your groove on portion of Red Velvet Car… Queen City is now playing. When Ann cry’s out – “yo-ho, yo-ho gotta keep afloat” it’s enough to make me feel like Heart has taken back what once was old and made it new again. Let’s not forget that Nancy Wilson can sing with a sparkle like a dew covered peach in the morning Summer sun. Hey You is an acoustic, up-tempo, semi-sweet ballad that carries it’s Rock fragrance of Heart with it’s infectious melody and Nancy’s sweet harmony.

Wheels and Safronia’s Mark both have the atmospheric sound and sensory feel of all things glorious about Classic Heart. Ann and Nancy please, take a bow now for you both have put me on a Classic Rock cloud that is drifting me further away from the lame-o and negative laced Rock Music that devoured everyone in the ’90′s. Hallelujah and Metal be thy name.

I’m going to make it a point to listen to Death Valley and Sunflower, while laying on the grass of my backyard on one of these last hot Summer days… and stare up at the blue sky and puffy white clouds with a retro grin on my middle-aged face that stretches from ear to ear. Is it wrong for my classifying Red Velvet Car as a Classic Rock gem? Calling out Heart’s return to Classic Rock prowess? I don’t think so. Exemplary Rock Music will always rise to the top, despite what is being played on radio or (gasp) MTV. Classic Rock exists for it will never go away, as it rears it’s triumphant head whenever a legendary band such as Heart brings it to life through their albums… both past and present with Red Velvet Car.

Classic Rock has rescued me once again, thank you Ann and Nancy. Red Velvet Car has the Classic Rock ‘N’ Roll fuel and I’m telling anyone whose listening to hitch a ride. Heart has pulled up in their Red Velvet Car and taken me for ride that I’m looking forward to taking again on a consistent basis… for a very, very, long time.



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Red Velvet Car Reviews and More

Just about every album review I missed posting. Enjoy!

5 Stars (only the second time this was ever awarded) from About.com! :D

Let's be honest here. Speaking from experience, if you were a young heterosexual male in the '70s, you were probably attracted to Heart primarily because they were fronted by two very attractive young women. The fact that sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson were exceptionally talented was a bonus. They're older now (albeit no less attractive) but the wisdom of age allows us once-young men to experience a new appreciation for the musical portion of the equation.

What'll it be?

Aside from their musical and physical attributes, the lead vocalist (Ann) and principal lyricist/guitarist (Nancy) brought something stylistically new: a fusion of folk and hard rock. They also put on a whale of a live show. Their debut album (not coincidentally, released on Valentine's Day 1976) was an immediate hit, rising to #7 on the U.S. album chart. Although there would be even greater chart success among the 11 studio albums that followed, it was Dreamboat Annie that firmly established the band and produced several of what would become their signature songs: “Magic Man”, “Crazy On You” and the title track.

There were ups and downs, and a lot of turnover among the non-Wilson members of the band, but Heart are not just surviving, they're thriving in 2010. They've been touring extensively the past couple of years, and are celebrating the 34th anniversary of their first studio album with the release of their 13th, Red Velvet Car.

Based on the pre-release publicity, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It spoke of an “acoustic approach” and made much of the “assortment of strings” employed, including “guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, fiddle, cello and autoharp.” Was this going to be the Heart we've known and loved (and lusted after) all these years, or a venture into some experimental realm?

Forget acoustic. The opening track, “There You Go” isn't raucous but it is intense, melodically and lyrically. It showcases some of that great Ann-Nancy family harmony.

After the cerebral intensity of the opening cut, “WTF” smacks you in the face with drums, electric guitar and some of Ann's best gravelly growling.

“Red Velvet Car” is pure blues. Forget the girly-girl implications of the title. It's bluesy-blues – hypnotic and, yes, sexy.

“Queen City” is a combination autobiography and tribute to the band's hometown, Seattle. The imagery of “keeping afloat in a leaky boat” is compelling.

“Hey You” is interesting because it employs multiple styles. It starts out with a bit of a country flavor, but then suddenly (but seamlessly) erupts into a '60s pop sound. The story (broken hearted lover) fits both.

My first impression of “Wheels” was that it sounded like it could be part of a movie soundtrack. Then I read an interview with Ann in which she explained that it actually evolved from a song they were “trying to write” for the movie, Midnight Run. This one keeps your attention because it makes you want to know how the story turns out.

The folk influence is much in evidence in “Safronia's Mark”, which Nancy describes as a “gypsy folk urchin song and another Seattle story.” It has a slightly supernatural quality to it that draws you in.

A rare exception is Heart

As the title implies, “Death Valley” is not a happy song. It is (in more or less equal parts) about life on the road, and the allegorical “bad trips” we all take as we stumble through life.

Nancy wrote “Sunflower” for (and about) Ann as a birthday present. Like the back story, the lyrics are touching.

“Sand” is the only song on the album that wasn't written specifically for Red Velvet Car. The Wilsons recorded it in the early '90s with an acoustic group they put together called The Lovemongers. The song is about endings, and makes a great closing track.

This album is as good as rock gets, and Heart sounds as good as they ever have.

Like most people, I have three or four favorites on any given album that are the ones I primarily listen to. Rarely does every song get equal replay. Red Velvet Car is one of those rare exceptions. About.com uses a five-star rating system for reviews. In the five years that I've been writing these reviews, I have only given one perfect score (for Bob Seger's Face the Promise.) I hereby award the second one to Heart for Red Velvet Car.

About.com: Classic Rock

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4 Stars

Once in 1982, a beautiful girl in a car sped past Brad Hamilton, a senior jerk at Ridgemont High. Who would have foreseen nearly 30 years later, the same girl would drive up to us again, this time, in Heart’s excellent Red Velvet Car?

A red velvet car is Heart’s ark for the lonely and the mistreated. The sisters Wilson sing about who gets to ride in their backseat and who is left to rot with the vultures, namely: bad boyfriends (“There You Go”), record company officials (“WTF”), and assholes that cut you off on the highway (“Safronia’s Mark”). It’s no secret that Heart’s most compelling material is often drawn from a dirty wound.

“WTF” is the hard rock powerhouse. Guitarist Craig Bartock provides a galloping “Barracuda” beat that stops just short of Ann threatening some unlucky soul at the other end of the tunnel: “There’s hell to pay and it’s your turn” while Nancy does her signature hop-scotch high kicks. “There You Go” has a stripped down bluegrass feel despite the string harmonies. Ann whisper-howls the long vowels, sounding remarkably close to her 26-year-old “Dreamboat Annie” self.

Circle of life imagery of trees, raindrops, and sunshine is in no shortage on this album. “Hey You” and “Sunflower,” sung by Nancy, are lilting and innocent, her guitar work dynamite whether she’s by a campfire or in the center of a football stadium. She mixes a bit of both these strengths on “Sand,” a favorite of their spinoff group, the Lovemongers. The recording balances instrumental frills with Dog & Butterfly delicacy.

Red Velvet Car has something for every kind of Heart fan, whether it’s virtuosic ‘70s guitar solos or soaring ‘80s choruses, Heart as lovesick Ophelias, or headbanging femme fatales. Since the musicianship quality is so inventive and fresh, it would be easy to say this album could fit anywhere in the Heart discography, but Red Velvet Car is simply a sterling album made by a pair of classic rock underdogs who really aren’t underdogs anymore. Heart has been one of the only bands of their generation to consistently produce hot new material that is both inventive and true all of their roots. Of course it’s Heart. It always has been, silly, silly fools.

VenusZine

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3.5 out of 4 Stars

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the new Heart album — one of only two the group has released over the last decade and a half — is as strong as it is. Outlasting expectations comes naturally to Ann and Nancy Wilson, who in the mid-’80s transformed Heart from the lean hard-rock act responsible for “Magic Man” and “Barracuda” to the slick power-ballad factory behind “These Dreams” and “What About Love.”

Still, rare is the band doing work this good at such an advanced age; rarer still is the band doing it, as Heart does on “Red Velvet Car,” without employing a sober return-to-roots approach.

The best tunes here are as fun — and as delightfully trashy — as anything in the Heart songbook: In “WTF,” Ann flexes her powerful She-Ra vocals over Nancy’s killer fuzz-grunge riff; “Queen City,” an ode to the Wilsons’ native Seattle, features a chorus lyric composed in large part of pirate slang. Later, “Death Valley” earns its title with some gorgeous evil-angel harmony singing.

“Red Velvet Car” also emphasizes Heart’s mystical-folkie side in cuts like the slow-burning title track and “Sand,” which the Wilsons first performed with their acoustic side project, the Lovemongers. But even there you can hear a joy and a sense of humor in the music that distinguishes it from the grim output of so many heritage acts.

Thirty-four years after the band’s debut, Heart’s dreamboat sails on.

LA Times

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If you’re a fan of Heart, you probably have an affinity for their early stuff, as in the Dreamboat Annie days. Or you might have been hooked in the ‘80s, when, as singer Ann Wilson says, the band “made a devil’s bargain” – i.e. they wrote pop songs that the label wanted them to, such as “Never” and “If Looks Could Kill.” Not that those songs were bad; in fact, some would argue that this is when Heart really arrived. Still, these sisters and their band mates appear to long for the “good old days,” when they could emulate their biggest inspiration, Led Zeppelin. And now with Red Velvet Car, Heart’s first studio album since Jupiter's Darling in 2004, they have succeeded. A big reason is producer Ben Mink, who has re-created the best of the “old” Heart but has given it a slick, current feel as well. The songwriting is top-notch, and while Ann Wilson’s voice is showing signs of weathering, you can put this album up against any heritage act’s new material and it will stand up, and above, just about anything. “There You Go” kicks off with a similar rhythmic riff to one of Heart’s biggest hits, “Straight On,” and it’s a solid start. And the Zeppelin vibe is in full glory on “WTF,” “Queen City,” and in particular on “Death Valley,” with Nancy Wilson emulating Jimmy Page’s tone and playing with sick precision. But the band shines big on the title track, on which Ann belts it out like in her heyday, and on a track Nancy sings, the acoustic driven “Hey You.” “Safronias Monk” feels like 1978, and the closer, “Sand,” also sounds like classic Heart, but maybe more like an anthem from the ‘80s. It can’t be easy to say you want to go back to your roots and actually do it, but Heart appears to have done just that. And despite the fact that the sisters Wilson have been rolling along for years on tour, Red Velvet Car is the type of effort that should, and might, win “comeback of the year” awards.

Eat, Sleep, Drink Music

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Ann and Nancy Wilson, figureheads of this classic rock band set up in the early Seventies, are the archetypal rock chicks and it’s great to see after so long and a six-year break they have lost none of their throat‑damaging, ear-splitting ways on this return to top form.

A mix of thrashing guitar throwdowns and gentler ballads (nothing too soppy, naturally), this is a collection of proper grown-up songs, best enjoyed with a bottle of beer and leather trousers.

UK Daily Express

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LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Nancy Wilson of Heart says the travel aspect of touring remains "just as hard" after almost four decades. "But the sweeter thing," she adds, "is to still be doing it."

She and sister Ann Wilson are touring in support of their first studio album in six years, "Red Velvet Car" (Sony Legacy, August 31). Written on the road and featuring the act's signature rock sound with deep acoustic currents, the album is gaining traction on adult contemporary radio with "Hey You."

"The heat at radio reminds me of the old days," Nancy says. "It's good to see stations adding it and people requesting a simple love song I've had in my back pocket for quite a while."

Guitarist Nancy and singer Ann have quite a few previous hits in their back pockets. Co-founders of '70s-spawned Seattle band Heart, the sibling frontwomen/songwriters forged a gateway for female rockers. Among the act's 21 top 40 hits: "Magic Man," "Barracuda," "These Dreams" and 1987's "Alone," which has become a favorite of "American Idol" contestants.

"'American Idol,' Fergie doing 'Barracuda,' 'Guitar Hero' ... all the different imprints of the songs we did in the '70s and '80s are connecting the dots, bringing a new generation to our live shows," Nancy says. "We've even seen people showing up with kids 10 years and younger."

"We have to get this baby born and on the map," Nancy says. "It's our calling."

Reuters

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Nothing beats live music. Hands down, the live experience trumps any audio or video recording I've ever seen of an artist performing. That said, the next best thing is a concert recording, preferably video so you can see the actual performance instead of simply listening to it.

I have never seen Heart live other than the occasional performance I've seen on television. It's on my list of things to do. But their album Red Velvet Car is probably more intimate than I could possibly be, even if I was sitting in the front row. From beginning to end, I felt each track like it was recorded in my living room. It might have been a LOUD living room at times where the windows rattled, but you know what I mean...

The sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have been queens of rock and roll ever since Dreamboat Annie hit radio waves in 1975, but Red Velvet Car is their first release in six years. This album manages to capture the classic Heart sound - from the style of "Barracuda" to "Dog and Butterfly" - while adding a new dimension that only age and experience can provide. From the duo's voices that sound as good as 35 years ago to the guitars, songwriting, and harmonies that only they can create, it's damn good to hear them rocking out again with some new tunes.

And with ten new tracks, we got a lot of new music to enjoy. I don't know whether it's the quieter tunes like "Hey You" and "Sand" or the rocking tunes like "There You Go," "Wheels," and "Death Valley" that echo most in my mind long after listening. But whether you enjoy the fierce energy of electric guitars or the solace of getting lost in acoustic guitars and voices emotionally telling what can only be personal tales, there's something for anybody who enjoys good music on this album.

The opening track "There You Go" tells a cautionary tale about losing control and being burned. With guitar melodies and rhythms sounding barely under control, you feel like the train is rushing forward only to crash in a ball of flame... "There you go again / Walking straight into the freezing flame / There you go again / There you go in the media insane..." The band is telling some poor innocent soul to be wary of the whirlwind of fame, to watch out for herself.

"Wheels" is another song that just drives along like a freight train in the dark. Again, the guitars and bass lines simply pound the song forward to some unknown destination. As they sing "Just close your eyes now / And breath a sigh now / Out of here" - like some great escape on the rails or open road. It's impossible not to tap your toes as it drives on. (Note to self - don't listen to this song while in the car with a known speed trap).

But it's "Sand" that sticks with me the longest. The last song on the album, it's a story of endings or loss. The acoustic guitars set the stage and Nancy's expressive voice felt like I was listening to a song played at a funeral. Something private shared with a crowd to let them know whomever it was that left them is still with them, like sand in the wind. "I asked a distant star / I wonder where you are / the shadow at my door / the friend who is no more..." I couldn't help but think of a friend I'd lost years ago... "Surely this sweet sand will run out by and by / and while the days come down to you / you are just a traveler passing through..."

It's the intimacy that just floors me each time I listen to the album. I truly felt as though I had somehow slipped into a jam session as a fly on the wall... soaking up the music and the tales.

Red Velvet Car will be released on August 31, 2010 and I would encourage anyone who's heard Heart in the past to pick up a copy. It's another great album from Ann, Nancy, and the band to listen to over and over again.

SeattlePi

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On their first new studio album in six years and their best new album in ages, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart balance the cool allure of acoustic instrumentation with enough grinding rockers to match the magic of their early years.

Too often overlooked and underappreciated among the mega-metropolitan elite, the Wilson sisters have nevertheless been a hugely influential force on rock and this disc could offer a blueprint to a lot of new acts looking to get their feet off the ground.

Back on a Sony-related label for the first time since 1983, Heart sparkles on cuts that include the scorching “WTF,” the acoustic-based beauty “Hey You,” and the sizzling “Wheels,” all of which fit neatly alongside their earlier classics like “Barracuda” and “Magic Man.”

“WTF” has some particularly touching lyrics, includes the line “The hardest thing you’ll ever learn is what bridge to cross and what bridge to burn,” which was directly inspired by journal writings from the Wilsons’ late mother who passed away about four years ago.

Ann’s voice can still rip a roof off a house and Nancy’s work with producer Ben Mink on instruments such as autoharp, guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo and more, offer a mesmerizing soundscape throughout the 10-song disc.

For my extensive interview with Nancy Wilson click here.

Tracks to download: “WTF” “Hey You”

MassLive

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Some classic rock reunions are driven by marketing, some driven by a desperate need to reconnect to the past, some exist merely for the music. Red Velvet Car, Heart’s first album since 2004’s Jupiter's Darling, belongs to the latter camp: it’s music with no seeming commercial aspirations, music that is connected to the past but doesn’t strive to replicate it. Heart eschews their teased, corseted ‘80s bombast and sticks to the Zep worship of the ‘70s, an obsession that’s proved quite fertile. The Wilson sisters are clearly older than they were when they belted out “Barracuda” — the tempos are generally slower, Ann’s voice doesn’t reach the same heights — but they embrace their age, a move that gives their excursions into folk including a revival “Sand” from their 1990 Lovemongers sideproject, a record that pointed the way toward the textured movie here. Red Velvet Car has something of a meditative mood — the punchy Townshend power chords are used as color, not fuel — triggered somewhat by a preponderance of textured, acoustic-laden arrangements and miniature epics, all elements that hearken back to Heart’s golden age yet wind up feeling right in line with their vibe in 2010.

AllMusic

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The first collection of original songs by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, along with their current players, since 2004’s forgettable Jupiter's Darling, takes several spins to absorb. But the effort pays off. What we get is moody rock ‘n’ roll that crawls beneath the skin (”There You Go,” “Safronia’s Mark”), begs for head-bobbing (”WTF”) and proves emotionally arresting (”Red Velvet Car”). A solid record, indeed, that reminds us why we still love Heart.

Dallas Morning News

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This classic Seattle band is the all-time best female-fronted outfit – at least the best that doesn’t have Joan Jett or Deborah Harry in its lineup. Ann and Nancy Wilson go the quieter route on album 13, their first in six years. “WTF” is a classic rocker in the “Crazy On You” mode, but mostly these 10 tunes feature mandolin, fiddle, dobro and other acoustic instruments. Ann, at age 60, can still hit those freakish high notes with ease and guitarist Nancy shines throughout, especially on the song to download, “Safronia’s Mark.”

Boston Herald

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Red Velvet Car comes on (or off!) like a slinky black dress, a tickled chin-coo that occasionally forms a fist and thumps you one ’cross the kisser. It’s a sleek, compact, muscular vessel, the kind Heart used to make when it pumped thunder and crunch behind a rock-solid grill.

The album, the Wilson sisters’ first all-new studio venture since Jupiter’s Darling (2004) and their first under the Sony umbrella since Passionworks (1983), cruises past the canon misfires and market capitulations to summon the seasoned essence of what rattled eardrums and severed cortexes many Dreamboat Annies and Lovemongers ago.

Ann and Nancy Wilson don’t rock harder — Velvet’s a mostly acoustic beast — but smarter. They’ve logged some serious road time on their odometers, and they pack an education into “There You Go,” a plugged-in unplugged tumble with a heavy bass ticker (Ric Markmann, billed within as Citizenship; Ann and Nancy are Forces of Nature and Weather Systems, respectively — consult your local smitten meteorologist for details). “You’re riding so dirty, dirty and fast,” warns head belter Ann, her delivery still clear and sharp, edged with a hard-earned raggedness.

And she knows of what she sings, even when reduced to the Internet shorthand of “WTF,” a rage amplified by Nancy’s steady six-string gallop. But with her legendarily stratospheric range, Ann doesn’t project in text-message brevity; when she produces a cell phone on “Death Valley” — where all are joined by none other than Rush’s Geddy Lee (Mazel) — she pounds the following message across her sister’s leveled valleys: “Heaven forbid this place / It’s hotter than hell and I’m losing my cool / This is not of the human race.” In short: >:O.

Nancy’s hot and cool as always, whether she scalds, burns, soothes, or hums. Abetted by producer Ben Mink (Magic), she breaks out a tingling coterie of acoustic implements to kick back on a porch and address the descending sun. “Hey You” glides like lemonade over a sing-song break; “Sunflower” bends softly in an agreeable summer gust. On the previous she laments, “And the symphony is gone, gone,” but Mink-guided strings are in abundance throughout Velvet, though never intrusive. They stir, among others, the helping-hand title track, the chest-clutch of “Safronia’s Mark,” and “Sand,” the contemplation of mortality that ends the disc on a solemnly thoughtful note. “And while the days come down to you,” Ann muses in adios from a figurative driver’s seat, “you are just a traveler passing through.”

Streaks of spectral residue trail from fading tail-lights. A horizon unfolds, growing ever closer. The red velvet car is always in motion. There are bridges to cross, to burn, as the song goes. Luckily, Heart has many more miles to travel before they make that final turn.

The Daily Wrazz

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The Wilson sisters of Heart were hard rock’s main mamas in the ’70s. Biting, clarion-clear vocalist Ann Wilson; harmony-singing, guitar-slinging sister Nancy; and the pair’s cleanly emotive brand of Zep-inspired folk-and-pop-metal melody ruled the charts. Eventually, they turned into a hair band doing Bic-flicking power ballads and became their own acoustic side project (Lovemongers) in between semiretirements.

Along with gearing up for a catalog overhaul, Heart recorded this stirring first new studio album in six years with warmly dramatic producer Ben Mink. The results are closer in cloyingly contagious melody and intimate lyricism to their early music, as in the cocksure “Queen City.” Yet the album’s mostly acoustic palette of cello, autoharp, banjo, and such allows songs such as the softly sonorous “Hey You” to take your breath away without ever eschewing their ability to rock out, as Heart does on the rousing “WTF.” 

The Philadelphia Inquirer 

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Having released their first album in Seattle on Valentine’s Day, 1976, Heart is one of the most enduring rock bands in music. The new album, Red Velvet Car, is only their second album since 1993. Jupiter’s Darling, released in 2004, an excellent album and a return to their hard rock roots was very overlooked, selling only around 100,000 copies. Red Velvet Car is a celebration of the acoustic along with the Mandolin, Dobro, Fiddle and Viola among other instrumentation.

It kicks off in great fashion with the opening track There You Go, heavy on bass and acoustic followed by the rocker WTF which has a bit of The Who’s, Won’t Get Fooled Again to it. The title track is an excellent ballad with some nice string arrangements and is followed by the sister’s ode to Seattle, Queen City. Next is the folksy, Hey You with Nancy showing off her very capable chops with lead vocals followed by the fast-paced Wheels. Safronia’s Mark comes next and is a song that I’d really like to know the meaning behind and then it’s the slightly edgier Death Valley. Sunflower, again sung by Nancy, slows things down again and the album is closed by the very capable Sand.

It’s worth mentioning that Target has two exclusive bonus tracks, Closer to the Sun and In the Cool, no mere cast-a ways they are every bit as good as every other track on the album with In the Cool being lyrically, one of the most powerful.

As one of the best female vocalists, Ann hasn’t lost a thing. She sounds every bit as good as she did on hits like Magic Man, If Looks Could Kill and Barracuda. Nancy, of course, is one of the greatest guitarists in music. You won’t be skipping a single track on this album as every song brings something to the table. Much like David Gilmour with On an Island and Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, with his recent Roadsinger, Ann and Nancy Wilson seem to be in a place in their career where they are unencumbered with the pressure of producing hit singles and are now doing what they love out of sheer enjoyment and happiness. Albums like this make me look forward to turning 60. Heart may have fallen off a lot of people’s radar and indeed many of the younger generations may not even be aware of them but to music lover’s I say buy this album and to those of the younger generation I implore you, give the Lady Gaga albums a rest and open your Heart.

Fangirltastic

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Sound: We all know the Heart sound, and although Red Velvet Car doesn’t feature the keyboards that we know and love, it doesn’t need to; instead focusing on Heart’s other qualities, which the band has in abundance.

Much is made of Nancy Wilson’s skills with a guitar in her hands, and the fuss is vindicated on Red Velvet Car. She is an accomplished guitarist, avoiding superfluous flash, embracing the art of song writing: every note played suits the song perfectly. Just listen to the bluesy rocker WTF, in which Nancy admirably turns a classic sounding bluesy note sequence into a rock tune with attitude and style. Strangely enough, a lot of the heavier guitar playing shuns a proportional amount of distortion, instead relying upon attitude and dynamics. It makes for some interesting exploration of ideas, even raising questions regarding how authentic distorted hard rock bands really are.

Not only is the guitar playing on the ball, but the percussion manages to stay keen to the idea of the song, varying from hard rock (WTF, Wheels, Safronia’s Mark), to mellow folk rock that even borders on bluegrass influences (Hey You). This is the sound of an experienced band, accommodating for the lack of innovation with a classic sound only too often the subject of weak counterfeiting by the young pretenders of modern music. // 7

Lyrics and Singing: Lyrically speaking, Heart has always been championed upon some sort of pedestal. This was a reaction to the full page ad in Rolling Stone insinuating that the Wilson sisters were involved in an incestuous homosexual relationship, an event to which the sisters took exception. Thus, the classic song—Barracuda—was born. This time round, Heart tackles issues such as losing youthful nihilism and burning out (There You Go), and even the loss of loved ones in the form of the intimate song, Sand. The lyrics do at times struggle for relevance, but it isn’t that Heart has nothing to say; it’s just that they have said it well before now, whilst vocally, Ann Wilson remains impressive both in terms of skill and diversity. She has often been compared to Robert Plant, and although she doesn’t command an audience quite like the Led Zeppelin vocalist, she can surely boast a voice of similar power. // 7

Impression: This isn’t the Heart of old, but Red Velvet Car has been widely touted as the best Heart album in years. It’s hard to find fault with such a verdict, but one is inclined to keep a lid on any hype surrounding the release of this album. Heart might be widely respected as one of the first bands to prove that girls can do rock, but that legacy alone won’t sell records; fortunately, the Wilson sisters seems to be aware of this, and have crafted an album that does no harm Heart’s legacy. // 7

Ultimate-Guitar

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After seeing Heart twice in concert, one could guess that I'm a Heart fan. So it be no surprise that I RAN to the store to get this album when it was released! First album of new materiel since 2004's Jupiter's Darling, Red Velvet Car proves to be a worthy of wait! This album could possibly be their best since 1980's Bebe la Strange. That's saying a lot!

Returning back to the roots of the heyday of the 7o's, the Wilson Sisters and company will rock you breathless and memorize you with their folkish ballads. The album starts out with the intense acoustic "There You Go" before slamming into the all out rocker of "WTF" Title track "Red Velvet Car" reminds me of "Dog & Butterfly"-simply gorgeous. "Queen City" is an homage to their hometown of Seattle. Nancy Wilson offers her seductive voice to the country flavored "Hey You".

The album gets better at this point! "Wheels" proves that Heart can still rock like barracudas. My favorite track, "Safronia's Mark" begins with a mandolin laden lush that builds to climatic ending. Grunge like rocker "Death Valley" tells about the life on the road and the "bad trips" we take in life. In the beautiful "Sunflower" Nancy writes to her sister Ann with some touching lyrics. The closing number "Sand" is a retake of what they did in the Lovemongers. I believe I heard that song the last time I saw Heart last summer. It was a dedication to Micheal Jackson, who had died the day before.

Only a shell of the original band remain. Sisters Ann and Nancy are still taking the reigns while newcomers guitarist Ben Mink and bassist Ric Markmann fill in the vital places. Ben Smith rejoins on the drums. Long time member Howard Leese left in 1997 and now touring with Bad Company.

I highly recommend this album! ....Even if you are not a Heart fan.

Drew's Odds and Sods

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Ann and Nancy Wilson were two of the first girls to show the world that girls can rock too. Since the 1970′s, Heart has been topping the charts with tracks like “Barracuda”, “Crazy On You”, “What About Love”, “If Looks Could Kill” and many more. Heart has packed out shows, sold more than 30 million records, and has 21 Top 40 Hits. Their newest album, “Red Velvet Car”, and their 1st in 6 years, is truly a masterpiece. These girls definitely know how to rock with the best.

SiegeAudio

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