Legendary HEART Vocalist ANN WILSON Releases First Solo Album HOPE & GLORY September 11 On Zoë/Rounder Records

(PRLEAP.COM) Just as Heart was making a major comeback in the mid-1980s, word began to circulate that Ann Wilson, one of the five most recognized voices of classic rock, was going to record a solo album. Although the album never surfaced, Ann tested those waters with great success in the form of two smash duets; “Almost Paradise” with Mike Reno, and “Surrender To Me” with Robin Zander.

While redefining her band in the 1990s, the same word about Ann Wilson doing a solo album surfaced for a second time. Fans and critics alike pinned hopes on hearing an album of blues. Producer names including Puff Daddy and Don Was reached eagerly waiting ears. Her efforts as a solo artist, however, were far more limited in commercial scope, where the most powerful female voice in rock music seemed destined to guest appearances on tribute albums and seemingly random compilations. Two successful solo tours in that era failed to produce a full-fledged album despite the passion Ann possesses as a singer, and the commanding power she has while taking center stage.

Another ten years passed. For the third time, serious talk of an Ann Wilson solo album made the rounds. The musical climate had changed. Heart had returned to touring and recording. The world had also changed in the heated politics of a highly unpopular war. This circumstance resonated with Ann Wilson strongly enough to speak out. And, speak out she does.

Fittingly, Hope & Glory, the title of Ann Wilson’s first ever solo album, will be released on September 11, 2007 on Zoë/Rounder Records. The musical choices take a look at situations mirroring the past while visiting classic rock songs of the 1960s and 1970s. A-list guest star appearances include Elton John, k.d. Lang, Wynonna, Gretchen Wilson, Alison Krauss, Deana Carter, Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin, and sister Nancy Wilson.

In all honesty, my pre-conceptions of the album left me feeling disappointed. The track listing showed up on the band’s website months in advance and completely jaded my perceptions. I wanted the album that would rock harder than Heart. I wanted to hear originals. Opinion formed, I felt let down.

We live in an age of too much information and where some of it is much too easy to find. After listening to Ann Wilson’s Hope & Glory, I can certainly tell you without a doubt, I’m glad I was not only wrong to feel as I did, but also happy to be so far off the mark in my pre-conceptions. Ann Wilson’s effort is everything I could have ever hoped for, as well as being more glorious than I could have ever imagined!

With Grammy winning producer Ben Mink master minding the arrangements of classics by the likes of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Neil Young, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan, Ann Wilson has recorded songs that no only surpass their original counterparts, they are completely redefined.

Ann says of her album, “Each of these songs holds a special place in my soul. At one time or another, every one of them has kept me up at night to the point of exasperation and will not be banished, as I lay sleepless on my pillow. Such songs as these carry me through my life, and they are a standard to which all new music I hear and write must compare.

“Just about every single song was a complete thrill for me to sing because at some point I was a kid out there loving them, or a young adult loving them, or in a few cases, a grown-up loving them,” Wilson explains. As for the powerful ways the songs on Hope & Glory resonate with current events, Wilson says, “The thing is, I’ve been itching to make some sort of comment about our times, but I didn’t want to do it in a way that was really abrasive and just shouting for the sake of shouting. I wanted to bring people some of the most beautiful poetry from different eras when they were facing a similar predicament and apply it to now.”

Building on a nightmare scenario, Hope & Glory opens with Pink Floyd’s “Goodbye Blue Sky”, taking the song further and, at the same time, building up upon it. Nancy Wilson makes the first of three guest appearances on this track.

The building trend continues with the Elton John classic “Where To Now St. Peter?” where the playing packs more punch. The track is more powerful, angrier. Why Ann and Elton never sang together before this track completely escapes me. Their voices trade off each other, sending the song up like a desperate prayer. If ever we needed direction, the time is now.

Long time fans of Heart know when Ann Wilson sings anything recorded by Led Zeppelin, you not only get better playing, you also get better vocals. That said, Zep purists are not going to like Ann Wilson’s version of “Immigrant Song”, the most drastically reworked title on Hope & Glory and the crowning jewel of this collection. Producer Ben Mink has arranged the track as a fusion of World and Rock (a la Yma Sumac), forcing the listener to actually hear and understand the words, perhaps for the first time. Picking up steam with each verse, the familiar guitar rhythm kicks in, building up to a memorable climax, making the track rock much harder. Ann says, “Our version starts a little like a little dot on the horizon, but by the time it’s done you’ve been overrun by all the barbarians.” Not only is this fresh interpretation Ann Wilson’s own, it proves just how hard she can play with the big boys after three decades in the business. Her voice simply gets better and better!

Fortunately, Hope & Glory does have a track written by Ann Wilson herself, “Little Problems, Little Lies”, the story of a bewildered soldier in Iraq lying down to die. It’s a sad ballad, a look at the world where politics has been allowed to stray us into the wrong direction too far and too long. “Little Problems, Little Lies” reflects Wilson’s childhood and the ideals she was brought up with as the daughter of a Marine whose disagreement with the Vietnam War led him to retire early from his post. Raised in a patriotic and close-knit family, Wilson was taught to question all the “Little Problems, Little Lies” that affect the human condition.

However, the ending note of Hope & Glory is too somber, leaving a hollow sadness. Heart has been performing The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” in their live sets. A studio version of this particular song to close the album would have been, in my opinion, a perfect choice to bring love and hope back full circle.

Stretching into a solo artist territory, Ann Wilson has found a certain comfort zone. The music she chooses really isn’t too dissimilar to Heart with respect to speaking out. You only have to listen to songs like “Crazy On You” and “Lost Angel” to feel the same vibe of desperation and hope, of how insane the world is. Political musical statements permeated the music she sang in the acoustic side project Lovemongers, taking on Paul Simon’s “American Tune” or Neil Young’s “Rockin’ In The Free World”. Ann Wilson’s voice comes through, loud and clear. It’s time to put an end to the madness. That’s what Hope & Glory is all about.

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