Product Reviews
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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Product Notes
2010 album from the veteran Rock band led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, their first album in six years. Red Velvet Car takes generations of Heart fans on what truly feels like the musical ride of a lifetime. Powerfully produced by Ben Mink, Red Velvet Car is a thoroughly electrifying song cycle of largely acoustic-based sound and a stunning album with a true and renewed sense of purpose. Ann and Nancy committed themselves to writing and recording an album that was as authentic as possible, culling from their own personal experiences and some universal themes. The result on Red Velvet Car is an album of breathtaking intimacy and honesty.