Topic: Song by Heart
I don't know how many of you are fans of Heart, but the Wilson sisters formed one of those bands that have been around forever and it's very likely that everyone knows and rocks to a Heart song.
As far as I'm concerned Ann Wilson has one of the best rock and roll voices I've ever heard and is easily in the top 5 female rock vocalists of all times. Most women singers won't even attempt to sing covers of Heart songs because Ann Wilson's voice is so active and powerful that it makes their renditions seems flat (a la Taylor Swift chanting in monotone about being under the bleachers etc).
In 1976 they released their first album Dreamboat Annie and then went on to put out four very solid rock albums from 1977 to 1980 with Little Queen (one of the most famous album cover shots of all time, Ann and Nancy Wilson posing as gypsies before a wagon. This shot led to a persistent rumor that Ann and Nancy were lesbians.), Magazine, Dog & Butterfly (one of the most complex and thought provoking albums ever made and probably the hardest to review as all music reviewers use it as the standard against which deep and complex albums are judged) and Bebe Le Strange. As an aside here, those five album names might be some of the best album names every conceived. Just another nod to the creative power behind these albums.
They went a bit more pop during the 80s, but Ann's voice was still the band's principle instrument and continues to be to this day. The woman can flat out SING and she could sit in a chair and sing the phone book and I would pay to sit and watch it.
My favorites have got to be:
Straight On - Just love the flat, almost monotone driving rock of this song with the high register action and power of Ann's voice pushing it forward with the help of Nancy's harmonies. It is so rare for a female artist to be this aggressive and yet retain this kind of vulnerability. It's also rare for a band to let the lead singer's voice carry the song this much. It's fair to say in this song the principle instrument is Ann's voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcEFPgNf … re=related
Dog & Butterfly - One of those songs that you can fit to just about any mood, believe it or not. A little reminder that when you get the blues remember the simple things in life and things get better. Again Ann's voice is the key sweetly emoting in lullaby tones. it's hard to believe that the same woman that sang Straight on is singing this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3ibPsnF7yw
