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Passionworks

Heart - Passionworks Audio CD

A fair review of the Heart "Passionworks" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Heart reviews here, or go back to the Heart tabs.

Band: Heart
Title: Passionworks
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-03-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: How Can I Refuse 2: Blue Guitar 3: Johnny Moon 4: Sleep Alone 5: Together Now 6: Allies 7: (Beat By) Jealousy 8: Heavy Heart 9: Love Mistake 10: Language of Love 11: Ambush

Collectors must have
It was not one of their most popular works, however it has some great hits and some songs that are familiar to the nostalgia conscious. If you are a Heart fan, you should not neglect having this one in you collection. ("I haven't heard that one in a LONG time!") It will surely make you smile.

Thought I was one of only a few..
Anne's voice is awesome and the music is as well. I have always LOVED this album since I first bought it when it came out. I saw this tour and thought it was great! I have NEVER understood why this album didn't do well? They rock throughout rather it's a heavy guitar sound on "Sleep Alone" or arena anthem harmonious sound of "Allies". . . . this is a MUST for ANY Heart fan who hasn't heard it!!.

Not the best Heart album, but far from the worst
I began listening to it with lowered expectations, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised, even enjoying it more than their other albums from the same period ("Bebe le Strange", "Heart", and "Bad Animals"). "Passionworks" is the last Heart album to have come into my possession, largely because it was regarded as the "forgotten" Heart album by reviewers.

"How Can I Refuse" is a standard rocker from Heart, equivalent to "If Looks Could Kill" from their eponymous album. There the comparisons mostly end - rather than radio-friendly, synth-driven singles, some solid songwriting follows: the rags-to-riches story of "Blue Guitar", the spacey and lilting "Johnny Moon", the pounding rhythm and vocal harmonies of "Sleep Alone". "Together Now" and "Allies" are rather boring attempts at depth, but then Heart comes back into their element with the funky and catchy "(Beat by) Jealousy", the slowed-down melancholy of "Heavy Heart", "Love Mistake", and "Language of Love". "Ambush" is a rather puzzling ending track, but it is fun to listen to.

"Passionworks" is catchy without being cliche, as their next two albums so often proved to be.

Good quality
Manufactured in Japan by Sony - exelent sound. I was surprised by CD sound quality. .

Passionworks Rocks!
Today, this album is viewed by many fans as a "transition album". Heart's 8th album titled "Passionworks" was released in August of 1983. Having fired Steve Fossen and Michael Derosier after the "Private Audition" album sessions, the Wilson sisters regrouped, hiring Mark Andes on bass and Denny Carmassi on drums respectively. This lineup (including Howard Leese on keyboards and lead guitar) would go on to achieve great success from the mid eighties into the early nineties. However, at the time of Passionworks' release, the band's record label (Epic) viewed the album as a do or die effort given the lackluster sales of "Private Audition" and subsequent personnel changes.

Despite wonderful production helmed by Keith Olsen (famous for his work with Fleetwod Mac) and solid material mostly written by Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and longtime friend and collaborator Sue Ennis, the album barely made the Top 40 album charts (it peaked at 39) and Heart was dropped from the Epic label.

This album, in my opinion, is far better than most of Heart's highly regarded releases "Heart", "Bad Animals", and "Brigade". An album doesn't necessarily have to have commercial success to make it good, high sales don't change the quality of the material. This album has, to quote Ann Wilson, "the soul-center" of Heart's previous heyday while making the adjustments in style to fit into the confusing and skewed music scene of the early eighties.

'How Can I Refuse', the album's first song and single (44 on Billboard's Hot 100) plants a strong foot starting off the album with a heavy guitar groove and drum beat. A sort of "story song" telling of a woman desperate for her lover's touch. Excellent guitar work and vocal performances should have pushed this song up higher on the charts.

'Blue Guitar', another story song, speaks of a young girl in a struggling band that hits the bigtime. The hectic pace and lonely nights force her to seek solace with her "man", a blue guitar.

'Johnny Moon' is not really a story song, but has an interesting story behind it. Originally recorded under the title 'Feels' for the "Dog & Butterfly" sessions, the song's lyrics were scrapped and the arrangement was slightly changed for it's resurrection on Passionworks. 'Feels' did end up seeing the light of day however, being released on the remastered version of "Dog & Butterfly" in 2004 as a bonus track. Both versions are so well done it's hard to choose a favorite.

'Sleep Alone' is another hard-rocker. A sassy, cheeky tale of a woman yearning to reaquaint herself with a one night stand. To quote the song, "Alone in his car/ You think of his name/ Took part of you with him/ It won't be the same/. . . You dream all day, climb the walls all night/ No satisfaction till he makes it right. "

'Together Now' was released as the b-side to the album's second single. . .

'Allies'. A beautiful ballad written by Jonathan Cain of the band Journey. Only reaching 83 on the charts, it's obvious Epic had given up on promoting the album or it's singles, because this song had "hit" written all over it.

'(Beat By) Jealousy' is a solid song on the album, but not one of my true favorites.

'Heavy Heart' is a story of love lost and the turmoil inside that follows with trying to "get back in the game".

'Love Mistake' is inarguably the best song written and performed by Nancy Wilson. The first few lilting bars of the song always give me goosebumps. I assume the "K. C. " the song refers to is longtime male friend of the band Kelly Curtis. The song is Nancy's consolation to a friend on a broken relationship, letting him know she'll always be there for him. An excellent accoustic version of this song appears on Nancy's solo album, 1999's "Live At McCabe's Guitar Shop".

'Language Of Love' shows Ann's frustration to write a steamy letter to her lover and how to get the words just right.

'Ambush' is about a "too cool for his own good", player type of guy getting the roles reversed on him and being pursued by a strong, seductive woman. A kind of opposite of 'How Can I Refuse' in a roundabout way. A fitting end to a truly superb and classic Heart album, at least to me.

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You can see a complete list of all Heart discography, or go back to the Heart tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.