EP releases often get a short shrift for obvious reasons, but an added caveat coming with them is that they are frequently pushed as product to promote some upcoming tour or appearance and play like musical afterthoughts. The most recent solo release from Ann Wilson, Focus #2, does not share these flaws or baggage. The four song collection feels much more like a sonic love letter from an artist towards the forces that have shaped her as a performer and writer, as well as the large fan base that has followed her through a decades long career. She has enlisted a top flight crew of collaborators for this musical venture, chief among them guitarist Craig Bartok, and his presence proves invaluable for the release. The true star of the release is, however, Wilson and her wide-ranging skill set enables to live within this material in a way quite unlike any other living singer.
She brings real weight and fury to the EP’s opening song. This is a “Manic Depression” that Hendrix himself would have surely approved of. Bartok’s guitar certainly nods to his esteemed predecessor, but he doesn’t wallow in full-on interpretation and probably laces an even bluesier aesthetic through the song than the Seattle native ever did. Wilson’s vocal is spot on. Her voice rampages through the verses without a single note of melodrama creeping into her voice, paying due deference to the subject matter, and quite obviously keying herself into the band performing behind her. The same song first point of view elevates the EP’s second song, “Fighten fer Life”, out of the realm of pleasant folkie material into something almost transcendent. The added huskiness of Wilson’s voice gained through time gives her performance here a very lived-in quality – no one listening would dare question the emotional truth behind the experience she conveys. To survive and prosper in a male dominated world surely qualifies Wilson as a survivor – but there are other things to outlive and Wilson doesn’t belabor her points.
The cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up” is more testimony to much of her power coming from what she doesn’t say as opposed to what she does. The re-arrangement of Gabriel’s song gives her voice room to move and allows the live performance to breathe in unexpected ways. If it takes on a theatrical air, it’s all for the better, because Wilson fills the space with a beautifully impassioned reading. The EP’s final cut, “Anguish”, is a 180 from the previous song. This is all blues bombast, not without subtlety, but it recognizes that there’s a small but significant slice of Wilson’s fan base who occasionally wants to hear her turn her hands towards material like this. She excels with the vocal, naturally, and in no small parts thanks to the excellent foil that Craig Bartok’s guitar makes for her voice.
Focus #2 is a stunning reminder of Ann Wilson’s contributions to music and her continued bright future. The songwriter is alive and well while the performer appears to retain every bit of the vaunted power that first propelled her into the spotlight.
9 out of 10 stars.
Primary URL: http://www.theannwilsonthing.com/
I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ann-wilson-thing!-2-focus/id1134297832
Cyrus Rhodes
