Desire Walks On

Desire Walks On is a work on which Heart, layering the sure feel of heavy guitar and dramatic singing, steps into a harder, more grounded rock sense of the early 1990s. Distancing itself a little from the gorgeous, flamboyant production of the 1980s, it returns to a rawer, more powerful band sound. Ann and Nancy Wilson’s outstanding voice and guitar, without yielding the lead to each other, give the songs a strong, sure core. From the powerful opener “Black on Black II” and the lyrical “Back to Avalon” to the emotional “The Woman in Me,” big ballads and strongly driving rock songs are included side by side, while the drama of “Will You Be There (In the Morning)” and a cut like a Bob Dylan cover “Ring Them Bells” convey the work’s fullness. Content on which earnestness and deep shading come to the fore, rather than flamboyance. A record that, while keeping the sure melodic sense long cultivated, inscribes another mature face of the band by shifting toward heavier, more grounded playing. One wants to carefully turn one’s ear not only to the overwhelming force of the vocals but to how the guitar supports and releases the songs’ tension. Showing 1990s Heart’s powerful, mature appeal, it is an engaging record.