Jupiters Darling

Jupiters Darling is a mature work on which Heart lines up, extremely naturally, guitar-centered rock songs and quiet songs with an acoustic texture. This studio work, after about ten years, holds a settled, sure depth particular to veterans, different from both the 1980s flamboyance and the early roughness. Ann Wilson’s vocals, while resonating powerfully, carefully draw each song’s delicate shading, conveying the sure breath of a long-running band. From the powerful drive of the opener “Make Me” and the drama of “Oldest Story in the World” to a cut like “The Perfect Goodbye,” the songs value above all the rich afterglow of melody and the delicate atmosphere of arrangement, rather than pushing through on momentum alone, while cuts like “Move On” and “Vainglorious” convey the work’s fullness. A record that beautifully unites hard rock’s powerful strength and a folk-like delicate softness, deeply inscribing Heart’s mature maturity. Rather than aiming for flashy hits, it lets you listen carefully on the songs’ own quality and the sisters’ rich expression. Letting you savor the veteran Heart’s sure ability and musical depth, it is an engaging, fulfilling work.