HEART - Fanatic [Best Buy Exclusive bonus] (2012)

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11. Beautiful Broken
12. Two Silver Rings
13. Zingara


Ann Wilson - vocals, keyboards, percussion
Nancy Wilson - vocals, guitars, mandolin, keyboards, synths
Ben Smith - drums
Craig Bartock - guitars
Debbie Shair - keyboards, synthesizers
Dan Rothchild - bass



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www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=product&id=2578643

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HEART - Fanatic (2012)

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You'd think that by now I wouldn't be surprised when HEART (fronted since 1975 by vocalists, instrumentalists, songwriters, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson) release another new album and it's just as fresh and vibrant as their first one, Dreamboat Annie in 1976.
But how do they do that? That was 36 years, 14 albums and hundreds of live concerts ago!

Right now, I'm listening to "Fanatic" (release date 10/02/12) and I still can't figure out how they do it. But they do, and that's really all that matters.
Seriously. How?
Like all Heart albums, "Fanatic" delivers a range of styles (once again bringing up the how-do-they-do-that question) making each seem a perfectly natural fit for them.
Want some good ol' Heart hard rock? You've get it right from the top with the title song.
Then there's "Mashalla" (pronounced mosh-uh-LAH) and "59 Crunch." Both cause me to wonder, as Ann hits the high notes with as much strength as she did in 1976, how can she still do that?

Blues rock, anyone? "Corduroy Road" will please you. Progressive? "A Million Miles" has more than a hint of it. Feeling folk-y? Try "Walkin' Good," to which Sarah McLachlan lends vocals and blends with Ann and Nancy so well, you'd think she was another Wilson sister.
Ballad-style story songs? "Rock Deep (Vancouver)" and "Pennsylvania" are here.
If they gave an award for best use of a string section on a rock album, "Fanatic" would win it. There's strings and acoustic guitar ("Walkin' Good"); strings and fuzzed up electric slide guitar ("Good Old America").

Thematically, "Fanatic" continues the theme established with 2010's Red Velvet Car, with a predominance of autobiographical themes.
"Rock Deep (Vancouver)" recounts Heart's earliest days when they were making it big in Canada and wondering if they'd ever be able to break through south of the border.
"Dear Old America" comes directly from the Wilson sisters' upbringing as military brats, daughters of a Marine Corps officer dad. "Walkin' Good" is about what Ann calls Nancy's devotion to 'the idea of love and especially the idea of romantic love. There is no way you could ever convince her that it's not real'.


It's hard to pick favorites. "Fanatic" is one of those rare few albums which you enjoy to listen from beginning to end, because it's resumed to 10 good songs, not 14 with the risk of fillers.
You have the best of both worlds; Classic Heart and some new grounds.
I really like "Mashallah" probably because it reminds of early favorites like 'Crazy on You' and 'White Lightning and Wine'. But then I like 'A Million Miles' for precisely the opposite reason: musically, it isn't something you would expect, which makes it all the more fun.
And I like "Fanatic" just because it such a good serving of that distinctive genre I call Heart rock.
They did it in the mid-70s, and in every decade since. They did (and do) it in their own unique way. They do it as well today as they did all those years ago. How do they do it? Don't know, don't care. Just very glad that they're still doing it, and hope they'll do it again soon.

World Premiere - You've seen it first here, at 0dayrockz


01 - Fanatic
02 - Dear Old America
03 - Walkin' Good" (feat. Sarah McLachlan)
04 - Skin And Bones
05 - A Million Miles
06 - Pennsylvania
07 - Mashallah
08 - Rock Deep (Vancouver)
09 - 59 Crunch
10 - Corduroy Road

Ann Wilson - vocals, keyboards, percussion
Nancy Wilson - vocals, guitars, mandolin, keyboards, synths
Ben Smith - drums
Craig Bartock - guitars
Debbie Shair - keyboards, synthesizers
Dan Rothchild - bass





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www.amazon.com/Fanatic-Heart/dp/B008D6T4NM

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ROMEO'S DAUGHTER - Delectable +1 (2011)

Romeo’s Daughter were UK answer to the popular American Melodic Rock bands such as Journey and Foreigner.
John 'Mutt' Lange produced their debut album and was slated to produce "Delectable". Fate, however, had something else in mind.
The band was delayed due to Mutt’s schedule and, eventually, had to move on without him. They also lost their record label and were forced to go the independent route.
Unfortunately, they were unable to break in America and ended up as one of the bands in the ‘should have made it’ file.

Long time out of print, "Delectable" now it's being re-issued, remastered and with a bonus track.
The album has shades of female fronted AOR / Melodic Rock bands - such as Scandal, Bad Sister, If Only - in that fantastic vocalist Leigh Matty doing an amazing job.
She was backed by a tight band that excelled at rocking out and producing smooth, melodic ballads.
The best songs are upbeat such as “Have Mercy” which sounds like it could easily be reworked into a Def Leppard classic.
“Addicted To The Animal” should have been a huge hit as this one really rocks.
The band sounds pretty americanized on “Nothing But Love”, specially on the catchy chorus.
“God Only Knows” is a heartfelt track as is the beautiful mid-tempo AOR “Treat Me Like A Lady”.
Bonus track “Talk Dirty To Me” is just as tantalizing as the title sounds.


It’s a shame this band didn’t have a few breaks as they had the chops, the skills and the sound to make it big.
Thumbs up for this re-issue, bringing this music back to the fans.
If you missed Romeo’s Daughter the first time around, you will be glad to get a second opportunity to check them out.
Highly Recommended.
You've seen it here first, at 0dayrock







Leigh Matty - Lead Vocals
Craig Joiner - Guitars, Backing Vocals
Tony Mitman - Keyboards
Andy Wells - Drums, Backing Vocals
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Merv Goldsworthy - Bass
Simon Duffy - Producer, Backing Vocals




BUY IT !
www.nehrecords.com/SHOP/RomeosDelectable.htm

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HEART - WTF + 4 (2010)

This is a great EP with a tasty morsel from every decade of Heart's catalog.
The 3 live songs from the March 5th 2010 EMP show are proof positive Heart still has the pure energy and sound that they've always had.

"WTF" is the best track from their new album 'Red Velvet Car'. Blazing, agressive and raw.
Heart's new studio version of "Sand" somehow is even more beautiful than their Lovemongers original, showcasing the Wilson sisters' lovely harmonies.


01. WTF
02. Sand
03. Barracuda (Live) *
04. Alone (Live) *
05. Silver Wheels - Crazy On You (Live) *

* recorded Live, March 5th, 2010 at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington



IF YOU LIKE IT, BUY IT!

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HEART - Red Velvet Car (2010)

The sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have been queens of rock and roll ever since Dreamboat Annie hit radio waves in 1975, but Red Velvet Car is their first release in six years.
This album manages to capture the classic Heart sound - from the style of "Barracuda" to "Dog and Butterfly" - while adding a new dimension that only age and experience can provide.
From the duo's voices that sound as good as 35 years ago to the guitars, songwriting, and harmonies that only they can create, it's damn good to hear them rocking out again with some new tunes.

Whether you enjoy the fierce energy of electric guitars or the solace of getting lost in acoustic guitars and voices emotionally telling what can only be personal tales, there's something for anybody who enjoys good music on this album.

The opening track "There You Go" tells a cautionary tale about losing control and being burned. With guitar melodies and rhythms sounding barely under control, the band is telling some poor innocent soul to be wary of the whirlwind of fame, to watch out for herself.
"Wheels" is another song that just drives along like a freight train in the dark. Again, the guitars and bass lines makes to tap your toes as it drives on. (Note: don't listen to this song while in the car with a known speed trap).
"Red Velvet Car” is a bluesy-blues hypnotic and sexy tune.
"Queen City" is a combination autobiography and tribute to the band's hometown, Seattle.

"Hey You" is interesting because it employs multiple styles. It starts out with a bit of a country flavor, but then suddenly (but seamlessly) erupts into a '60s rock&pop sound.
My first impression of "Wheels" was that it sounded like it could be part of a movie soundtrack. Then I read an interview with Ann in which she explained that it actually evolved from a song they were 'trying to write' for the movie Midnight Run. This one keeps your attention because it makes you want to know how the story turns out.

The folk influence is much in evidence in "Safronia's Mark", which Nancy describes as a 'gypsy folk urchin song and another Seattle story'
"Death Valley" is about life on the road, and the allegorical 'bad trips' we all take as we stumble through life.
Nancy wrote "Sunflower" for (and about) Ann as a birthday present. Like the back story, the lyrics are touching.
"Sand" is the only song on the album that wasn't written specifically for Red Velvet Car. The Wilsons recorded it in the early '90s with an acoustic group they put together called The Lovemongers. The song is about endings, and makes a great closing track.

It's the intimacy that just floors me each time I listen to the album. I truly felt as though I had somehow slipped into a jam session as a fly on the wall... soaking up the music and the tales.
This album is as good as rock gets, and Heart sounds as good as they ever have.


01 - There You Go
02 - WTF
03 - Red Velvet Car
04 - Queen City
05 - Hey You
06 - Wheels
07 - Safronias Mark
08 - Death Valley
09 - Sunflower
10 - Sand


Ann Wilson: vocals
Nancy Wilson: guitars, vocals
Craig Bartock: guitars
Rick Markmann: bass
Ben Smith: drums
Debbie Shair: keyboards
Ben Mink: additional guitar

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