Dog & Butterfly

Dog & Butterfly is the fourth album that carefully draws Heart’s rich duality, as its symbolic title suggests, by vividly contrasting the powerful, “Dog”-like rock side of the first half and the delicate, lyrical, “Butterfly”-like side of the second half. It clearly presents the band’s two great appeals — hard rock and folk/acoustic — within one album. Nancy Wilson’s guitar is sharp yet delicate, and Ann Wilson’s singing freely moves between power and softness. The powerful drive of the dynamic rock number “Straight On” and the quiet, deep afterglow of the beautiful, grand title track “Dog & Butterfly” vividly show this album’s contrasting two ends, while the grand drama of “Mistral Wind” and cuts like “Cook with Fire” and “High Time” convey the work’s fullness. A record that strongly inscribes Heart’s musical depth, letting you listen carefully with rich melody and a delicate atmosphere, not only hard rock’s powerful drive. The skill of its construction, beautifully pulling the band’s two different appeals into one work, shines. Showing early Heart’s mature expression, it is an engaging, fulfilling work — a record where you can savor their many-sidedness.