When I received “Hope and Glory” by Ann
Wilson in the mail, I wasn’t sure what to think.
Reading the literature that came with it, I discovered
she is the lead singer of Heart, a band with which
I am not familiar. I was thinking about telling my
editor, “Listen, I can’t review this.
I have no idea what it is.” Then I put it in
my CD player and all that changed. I still don’t
know who Heart is, but this album is pretty darn good.
“Hope and Glory” is comprised entirely
of cover songs almost all of them political in nature.
Not only that, it features a boatload of guest performers,
such as Elton John, Alison Krauss and Wynonna Judd,
to name a few.
The effort starts a little weak with tame traditional
rock renditions of Pink Floyd’s “Goodbye
Blue Sky” and Elton John’s “Where
to Now St. Peter.” But things pick up on The
Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”
where you really start to get an idea of the grit
and power that Wilson boasts in her vocal chords.
She is certainly no soprano, and at one point I couldn’t
tell the difference between her voice and Elton John’s,
but her raspy and emotional vocals fit the songs perfectly.
The rock ‘n’ roll stylings of the first
few songs start to morph into folk and bluegrass about
a third of the way in and that’s where the album
really finds its voice. Tracks like “Bad Moon
Rising” and “Get Together” seem
right at home infused with double bass and fiddles.
I’ve been a fan of Alison Krauss since I heard
the “O Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack,
and her angelic voice provides a great opening for
Neil Young’s “War of Man.”
Certainly considering current events in our world,
it’s becoming a trend for entertainers to get
political. A few artists have done a great job adding
their own two cents to the long line of protest songs
written over the last several decades, but sometimes
it makes sense to dust off some classics. Ann Wilson,
on “Hope and Glory,” shows that although
many of these songs were written in different time,
they are still strikingly relevant. Add to that first-rate
performances from all involved, and I couldn’t
recommend “Hope and Glory” enough. Even
if you’ve never heard of Heart, I think this
has something that fans of all genres can enjoy.
Key Tracks: We Gotta Get Out of This Place, Immigrant
Song, Bad Moon Rising, War of Man, Get Together
Reviewed by David Baker |
