The David Bowie album Ann Wilson calls “haunting”
Drawing inspiration from hard rock, heavy metal, and folk, Heart rose to prominence in the 1970s. Their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, produced classic rock hits like ‘Magic Man’ and ‘Crazy on You’. Despite lineup changes, Ann Wilson and her sister Nancy have remained the band’s sole constant members since the ’70s, maintaining an active touring schedule and consistently releasing music.
In a 2021 interview with Spin, Wilson divulged the albums that hold a timeless significance in her collection, serving as enduring sources of inspiration in both her life and music. Among her picks, she first highlighted David Bowie’s poignant final project, the endearing and exquisite Blackstar. She said: “All through his career, Bowie took on various status quos, including the rules of fashion, middle-of-the-road musical styles and gender fluidity. I feel on Blackstar, he challenges the most immutable law of all: mortality.”
Discussing Bowie’s penchant for reaching into the darkest corners of human existence, Wilson elaborated: “The album is haunting and wide awake as he ponders his own demise and invents a new religion with the relic of Major Tom as its mythological deity. Musically, it’s Bowie’s most sophisticated work. He allows the breezes of modern jazz to blow through the open window of his soul.”
Released posthumously two days after his death, Blackstar represented a departure from Bowie’s previous work. Not only was it influenced by the sombre context of his passing, but it also delved into a diverse range of styles that the musician had seldom explored in earlier decades. Remaining true to his artistic vision until the end, Bowie’s last album served as a poignant reminder of life’s transience.
Wilson’s appreciation for musical transcendence is also reflected in her love for other innovative artists like Joni Mitchell. Discussing Mitchell’s Hejira, Wilson said: “This album does not age. Rather, it unfolds with time… I love this album like I love a lifelong friend. On Hejira, Joni is a grown woman, a free agent, travelling solo. The songs are full of the rich imagery of the things and people she encounters and interlaced with her poetic, unforgiving introspections.”
Known for her incisive critiques, Hejira had contributed to Mitchell becoming synonymous with the image of the solitary traveller, a persona she fully embraced throughout the album. With freedom as her guide and no constraints to hinder her, Mitchell crafted what many consider to be one of her most exceptional works to date.
With idols like Bowie and Mitchell, the Wilson sisters were able to craft a sound dynamic enough to be hailed as one of the leading rock bands of the era. Growing up in a musical household, with “everything from classical music to Ray Charles, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee, bossa nova, and early experimental electronic music,” as Nancy explained, Heart became best recognised as trailblazers for women in the male-dominated musical landscape.
