Heart

The self-titled Heart is the band’s record-breaking great revival, binding Ann and Nancy Wilson’s outstanding expression to a more widely open pop/rock design. Switching to a new label and actively taking in outside songwriters and gorgeous production, it splendidly reached number one on the US chart, again pushing the band to stardom representing the 1980s. Ann’s tough, emotional singing carries big melody grandly and powerfully, and Nancy’s guitar and acoustic feel surely support the songs’ intensity. The power-ballad smash “What About Love” and the fantastical, beautiful “These Dreams” are presences symbolizing this album, on which accessibility and power naturally coexist. The powerful “Never” and a cut like “Nothin’ at All” also recorded big hits. Even within refined, gorgeous production, the sure drama at the band’s core is not lost in the least. Its immense value lies in vividly steering from the raw hard rock of the 1970s to the refined arena rock of the 1980s and achieving a splendid great revival. A monumental record that produced many hit singles and built a second golden age in the band’s career. An extremely important great-success work announcing Heart’s powerful revival — their new peak.