Red Velvet Car review

Red Velvet Car is the long awaited follow-up to 2004's Jupiter's Darling. God, that sounds cliche! This album is anything but cliche. In a way, it's a freaky flip side of the largely electric Jupiter's Darling. Red Velvet Car is built from the acoustic guitar on up. Having said that, don't expect the delicate pastoral acoustic odes from Heart's early days. This album has a definite dark, gritty undertone to it. Innocence seems long lost here. Experience rules the day. This is quite a wonderful thing, actually.

Listening to WTF, Wheels, or the title track, you hear a band in command. There is nothing here but drive, punch, impact, assurance. Ann Wilson is still the finest living rock vocalist. Nancy Wilson still plays absolutely stellar guitar and turns in a great vocal on Hey You (not the Pink Floyd tune!). If there's a nod to Heart of the past, oddly enough it's Queen City, which sounds like an outtake from the Magazine era in terms of feel.

Of the 10 tracks on Red Velvet Car, there is not a single stinker. Ben Mink's production is greasy and organic. Raw in the best possible way. There's also a nice nod to the Lovemongers days with an update of Sand from 1997's Whirlygig. This is a mean ass, butt whompin' album from Heart. I love it. Hitch a ride in the Red Velvet Car. Dangerous curves ahead!

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