Heart's Wilson sisters come to town with a new album

Heart back in Houston for Saturday show
The Wilson sisters come to town with a new album to promote
(I didn't get to go, damnit.)
By JOEY GUERRA
For The Chronicle

As lead singer for seminal rock collective Heart, Ann Wilson — along with sister Nancy — shattered, then redefined conceptions about women in a genre long dominated by males.

The band released its debut album, Dreamboat Annie, in 1976 and found speedy success with the singles Crazy on You, Magic Man and the whimsical title track. More albums, more singles and more drama ensued.

Despite intraband romances and constantly changing lineups, the Wilson sisters remained Heart's focal point. The group has issued more than a dozen releases (not to mention bootleg recordings and best-of compilations), sold more than 30 million albums and lodged 21 Top 40 hits, including the No. 1 smashes These Dreams and Alone.

"At this point, there's no way for us to really separate the personal and the professional, and we don't really try to do that. But we do work hard on our communication, because that's the thing that really keeps things steady," Ann Wilson says.

The group performs Saturday at H'Town's Arena Theatre as part of its Jupiters Darling international summer tour.

"We don't fight with each other, but we can become frosty sometimes, like anybody," Wilson adds. But we just see fit to talk it out rather than let it rankle and turn into something bad. I think that's helped us through the years. No big catfights."

After a glossy career renaissance in the mid-'80s with albums Heart and Bad Animals, the '90s found the duo settling into its hard-earned status as respected rock goddesses.

Nancy Wilson scored three films (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky) for husband Cameron Crowe and released an experimental solo album.

Ann Wilson dabbled in theater and embarked on a solo tour. The sisters also released two albums — with another new lineup — under the Lovemongers name. The days of Heart, it seemed, were over.

Not so fast.

The Wilson sisters re-emerged under the Heart moniker with last year's critically lauded Alive in Seattle, a double-disc collection of hits and new tracks. It was a precursor to 2004's Jupiters Darling, the group's first studio album since 1993's Desire Walks On. The album harks back to the melodic, thoughtful sound of Heart's early recordings, with plenty of room to rock.

" It's been a dream of ours for a long time, and you don't just whip an album out on a timetable, really," Wilson, 52, says. We wanted to do it ourselves this time, in terms of Nancy producing and us writing all the songs. We did it all on our own dime."

After the creative process was worked out, the album took only two months to record. It features longtime members Darian Sahanaja (keyboards), Mike Inez (bass) and Ben Smith (drums), along with new guitarist/co-producer/co-writer Craig Bartock.

Jupiters Darling also features contributions from Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready.

From the opening chords of Make Me, Jupiters Darling positively sparkles with vitality. Vainglorious and Fallen Ones showcase chunky rock riffs, while Enough and I Need the Rain recall Heart's tenderest ballads.

"We knew that we wanted it to sound rockin' and raw and as much like the essential, real Heart as we could make it," Wilson says.

"To get there we just had to relax, basically, and just close out all the other voices we've heard down through the years that told us what we should be doing and just do what we do."

Still, a lot has changed in the rock 'n' roll world since the Wilson sisters' commercial heyday. Britney Spears and Ashlee Simpson have replaced Joan Jett and Pat Benatar atop the charts, but Wilson feels artists such as Lucinda Williams and Avril Lavigne are proudly carrying the rock torch without needing slinky dance moves and skimpy outfits.

Wilson's life these days includes caring for two adopted children, Marie, 13, and Dustin, 6, who she says has the makings of a rock star. It's a picture of what life is like for a rock mama balancing Heart and home.

"You're up onstage in front of a packed house, and it's just really great," Wilson says. "You just did Barracuda. The place is going crazy! You're feeling really great. You come offstage and you're all high, and you feel so good. You walk backstage, and then someone goes, 'Mom, would you wipe my butt?'

"Your hat just spins around. It's a nice counterpoint to the rock-star thing."
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