RVC Review – UK’s Classic Rock Magazine!

HEART – Red Velvet Car

Sian gives it a 9 out of 10 stars!

The Wilson sisters finally get back on the road!

It might have been six years since Heart’s last studio album, but bandleaders Ann and Nancy Wilson have cannily kept their new release to a tight 10 tracks. Gone are the glossy keyboards of the 80s and the acoustic guitar has been returned to its rightful place at the core of Heart. And while acoustic instruments – from mandolins to flutes – are definitely the stars here, it’s a world away from being a whimsical folksy affair… The stark and spare opener There You Go is striding and full of purpose, while the edgy WTF is as vital as Heart have sounded in years, all driving (pun fully intended) electric riffery with Wilson belting out as only she can, its the spiritual successor to 1976’s Crazy On You.

All the elements you’ve come to expect from the Seattle band over their three-and-a -half decade career are represented here, from the pop-tinged Hey You to the moody title track via the claustrophobic Death Valley to delicate album closer Sand (a re-recording of a fan favorite from the Wilson’s Lovemongers side project) Even Closer To The Sun, one of the two UK bonus tracks, is an unexpected gem-epic in scale and melody, steeped in glorious harmonies and big open chords.

Those expecting power balladry in the vein of Alone and These Dreams should look elsewhere, but for those who always knew the Heart of Heart was rootsy instrumentation coupled with belt you about the head riffs topped with one of the finest voices in rock should drive this Red Velvet Car off the forecourt immediately.

Sian Llewellyn