With over 35 million records sold and countless hit songs, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have yet to rest on their laurels. Over the years, they have continued to produce great new music, tour, and be a relevant force in the world of music. The most famous sisters in rock are about to release their 16th album and first for Concord Records, “Beautiful Broken.”
The new record is a collection of several new songs with the rest being reinvented versions of tunes from the early ’80s, hand picked by Ann and Nancy as tracks that they always wanted a chance to redo. Things kick off in true rock fashion with “Beautiful Broken” which first appeared as a bonus track on Heart’s 2012 release “Fanatic.” This time out the song is a blistering, adrenaline fueled rocker with a special vocal guest appearance by James Hetfield of Metallica. Legendary arranger Paul Buckmaster was brought in to add string arrangements on several songs including “Sweet Darlin'” and a new mid-tempo rocker “I Jump” which provide a lush sound that accentuates the power and beauty of Ann’s vocals. In contrast to Ann’s operatic pipes is the more laidback soulful style of Nancy’s voice on the poignant ballad “Two” which Nancy first heard on a demo for a tv show and was written by Ne-Yo. The album overall has a real throwback feel to Heart’s work from the ’70s. Produced by Nancy and bassist Dan Rothchild, “Beautiful Broken” is chock full of raw, unfettered emotion.
For a band that has nothing left to prove, Heart has once again shown why they are true rock legends. While I would have loved an album of all new music, “Beautiful Broken” is a great new release. With some fantastic new tracks and some true reworkings that make the older songs sound completely new and different, the new record is a welcome addition to the Heart catalog.
