Red Velvet Car - Heart
  • Band Name: Heart
  • Record Label: Legacy
  • Release Date: Aug 31, 2010
Red Velvet Car Image
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 5 Ratings

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  • Summary: After a six-year hiatus, the sisters of arena rock are back with a more acoustic-heavy sound that's still as electrifying as ever.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Los Angeles Times
    88
    Thirty-four years after the band's debut, Heart's dreamboat sails on.
  2. All Music Guide
    70
    Red Velvet Car has something of a meditative mood -- the punchy Townshend power chords are used as color, not fuel -- triggered somewhat by a preponderance of textured, acoustic-laden arrangements and miniature epics, all elements that hearken back to Heart's golden age yet wind up feeling right in line with their vibe in 2010.
  3. Uncut
    60
    Red Velvet Car finds Heart holding back on the lacquer. [Oct 2010, p.94]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Billboard.com
    60
    The lyrical focus, along with raw production and eclectic instrumentation (including mandolin, strings and autoharp), give the 10-song set a heat that's honest and personal, but not quite the riveting bearing of souls that Heart is known for.

See all 6 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. TabbyB
    10
    Heart has been experiencing a renaissance late in their career. Following up the excellent Jupiter's Darling, Heart have turned out another great album. This one is more acoustic than Jupiter's Darling, but it's a heavy, substantial type of acoustic. Stand out tracks include the grooving "There You Go Again", rocker "WTF", the single "Hey You" (#24 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart), the slinky blues-ish ballad "Red Velvet Car" and the startlingly lovely ode to Seattle "Queen City".… Expand
  2. uptonking
    9
    A return to Little Queen era Heart, and a welcome return it is. Anne's voice is still Led Zepplin ready, though a bit craggier - it is hard to tell because her vocals tend to be mixed low and in the back - which is a damn shame. WTF rocks as do a few other tracks. WTF is a missed opportunity - with a little punch up on the mix board and bit of sheen it could have totally shredded the atmosphere. Nancy's contributions are a little less successful, belonging more to the nineties hippy girl era and a bit out of place here. The fact that her vocals are mixed up front and with a shine only make her tracks feel that much more generic, lacking the character and flex that Anne brings so naturally. The signature ringing guitars adding counter point to the rhythmic chug are right on the mark, as is most of the songwriting. I love that this is only 10 tracks long (some have 13) - it does not over stay its welcome and the length actually invites repeated listening. It's just so nice to have these ladies around. Death Valley chugs along nicely, reminding me a bit of Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde). Wheels, Queen City and Saffronia's Mark also hit the mark, the latter having the best lyrics of the lot. When Anne goes all Alannha Myles on the opening track, There You Go and the title track, it feels fine, if a tiny bit pedestrian. Actually those cuts just make me pine for the rockers like WTF. Still... incredible album. One of the year's best. Great cover, too.… Expand
  3. AClockworkPeach
    7
    The major theme of the album is young love, and the songs depict this theme in each aspect of its being such as, forgiveness, hope, or sorrow. Though their usage of imagery and defining of themes, Heart has successfully defined the reality of a young woman in love, better than any other artist could hope to do. With many of these themes such as frustration â… Expand

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