Ann Wilson
Photo by Rusty Russell / Getty Images
First Thoughts
When I looked at the track list for Hope & Glory my first thought was, "Oh, great, a covers album," since all but one of the songs were written and recorded by other famous folk back in the day.
The next thing that struck me was the curious musical mixture. Here were the songs of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Creedence Clearwater Revival alongside those of Jesse Colin Young, Bob Dylan, and Lucinda Williams. Here was a duet with Elton John, then one with Allison Krauss.
Is it an antiwar album? Here's Neil Young's "War of Man," Roger Waters' "Goodbye Blue Sky" and Wilson's own "Little Problems, Little Lies" which speaks of kicking in doorways, following orders, and lying injured 'in a bombed out SUV' waiting to be rescued by a helicopter.
The next thing that struck me was the curious musical mixture. Here were the songs of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Creedence Clearwater Revival alongside those of Jesse Colin Young, Bob Dylan, and Lucinda Williams. Here was a duet with Elton John, then one with Allison Krauss.
Is it an antiwar album? Here's Neil Young's "War of Man," Roger Waters' "Goodbye Blue Sky" and Wilson's own "Little Problems, Little Lies" which speaks of kicking in doorways, following orders, and lying injured 'in a bombed out SUV' waiting to be rescued by a helicopter.
The Answer, My Friend ...
Nancy (l) and Ann Wilson are Heart.
Photo by Kevin Winter / Getty Images
The answer to the riddle of what the album is all about is probably best provided by Wilson herself in her liner notes.
"Each of these songs holds a special place in my soul. Some have been there a long time, others just taking root. At one time or another every one of them has kept me up at night to the point of exasperation and will not be banished, even by singing the theme songs to The Brady Bunch, It's a Small World or Gilligan's Island as I lay sleepless on my pillow."
For the most part, the songs and her interpretations lend themselves well to her distinctive brand of blues rock and power ballads, one exception being on the opening verse of John Lennon's "Isolation" where she comes across as tentative, almost to the point of seeming to be off-key.
Wilson shines on Elton John-Bernie Taupin's "Where To Now St. Peter." She would have shone even brighter without Sir Elton's vocal contribution. He just can't keep up with Ann Wilson in full tilt rock mode.
There's a definite Nashville influence, as evidenced by the preponderance of duet partners -- Krauss, Gretchen Wilson, Wynonna, Deana Carter, kd lang. Interestingly, though, a song you would expect to sound country, like Jesse Colin Young's haunting "Darkness, Darkness" builds from a fiddle opening to a hard rock power ballad. And a song like "Bad Moon Rising" that isn't your typical country fare, becomes quite twangy under the influence of "a sweet fiddle and a little red wine," to quote Wilson's liner notes again.
"Each of these songs holds a special place in my soul. Some have been there a long time, others just taking root. At one time or another every one of them has kept me up at night to the point of exasperation and will not be banished, even by singing the theme songs to The Brady Bunch, It's a Small World or Gilligan's Island as I lay sleepless on my pillow."
For the most part, the songs and her interpretations lend themselves well to her distinctive brand of blues rock and power ballads, one exception being on the opening verse of John Lennon's "Isolation" where she comes across as tentative, almost to the point of seeming to be off-key.
Wilson shines on Elton John-Bernie Taupin's "Where To Now St. Peter." She would have shone even brighter without Sir Elton's vocal contribution. He just can't keep up with Ann Wilson in full tilt rock mode.
There's a definite Nashville influence, as evidenced by the preponderance of duet partners -- Krauss, Gretchen Wilson, Wynonna, Deana Carter, kd lang. Interestingly, though, a song you would expect to sound country, like Jesse Colin Young's haunting "Darkness, Darkness" builds from a fiddle opening to a hard rock power ballad. And a song like "Bad Moon Rising" that isn't your typical country fare, becomes quite twangy under the influence of "a sweet fiddle and a little red wine," to quote Wilson's liner notes again.
Protest or Personal Journal?
So, is this a protest album? Listen to the lyrics, read the liner notes, consider that it was released on 9/11, and decide for yourself.
With Nancy Wilson on three of the tracks, is it a thinly veiled Heart album? Even though two of the Wilson-Wilson duets are among my favorites on this CD ("Goodbye Blue Sky" and "Darkness, Darkness") neither of them sound like Heart.
Whatever the agenda is or isn't, I confess myself to be most strongly influenced by long being an Ann Wilson fan. Her range, vocally and emotionally, goes seamlessly from Janis Joplin raw to Linda Ronstadt smooth.
As for whether this is truly a solo album, I would have to say yes. Despite the covers and the duets, it is clear that this is a very personal endeavor for Wilson. It's almost as if she needed this to exorcise some demons that have been, as she suggests, keeping her awake nights for quite a while now.
With Nancy Wilson on three of the tracks, is it a thinly veiled Heart album? Even though two of the Wilson-Wilson duets are among my favorites on this CD ("Goodbye Blue Sky" and "Darkness, Darkness") neither of them sound like Heart.
Whatever the agenda is or isn't, I confess myself to be most strongly influenced by long being an Ann Wilson fan. Her range, vocally and emotionally, goes seamlessly from Janis Joplin raw to Linda Ronstadt smooth.
As for whether this is truly a solo album, I would have to say yes. Despite the covers and the duets, it is clear that this is a very personal endeavor for Wilson. It's almost as if she needed this to exorcise some demons that have been, as she suggests, keeping her awake nights for quite a while now.
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