2008
I'm a sucker for women singing to me. When I was in high school, Heart's "Dog and the Butterfly" came out, and it moved me for reasons that don't make sense to a grown-up. Probably hormones.
Flash forward to right now. The "Heart Live" DVD lands on my desk, hi-def and 5.1 Surround Sound. What's a guy to do?
Of course, I know how much road the Wilson sisters have traveled. The world is a different place, etc. I managed to see Heart in concert in the mid-Nineties. Yes, I completely got over the weight thing regarding Ann, as soon as she opened her mouth and belted out those hits. I forgot everything but that sound.
Well, I don't know if it's the DVD format, the production, or the fact that we're getting older and the world's getting colder, but I found this production disconcerting. The legendary voice Ann once had sounded ragged and tattered. Was that golden, ringing bell gone? Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and the fairest fade?
Throughout, she turned in a half-sung performance. Sometimes, sister Nancy sang lead and Ann sang backup. What 's up with that? It troubled me.
By four-fifths of the way in, I had my answer: Ann caught a cold from her kids.
"In case you hear a little gravel in my throat, I'm a mom now," Ann said, introducing the song "Enough." "My kids are in school and I'm carrying a little of my angels with me tonight."
So, her voice was ragged, phlegmy and tired? Then they shouldn't have released this DVD. Save your money for a quality production.
"?Ben Fenwick
