Heart: Live at the Royal Albert Hall

This June 2016 performance at London's Royal Albert Hall by Ann and Nancy Wilson and the current incarnation of their longtime band Heart serves up a solid mix of classic rock. The addition of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a nice touch, but that ensemble sonically vanishes—or at best becomes irrelevant—as the show goes on, although in better moments the orchestra gives Heart's songs an airier setting than the band's original recordings (reminiscent of the Moody Blues at their most gazing-at-the-trees romantic). On “Heaven,” the Indian-flavored pitch-bending on guitars melds well with the Philharmonic's exotic backing to give the song a very different identity, while “Dreamboat Annie” proves to be more spare and haunting than the 1970s-era original. Nancy Wilson's featured vocals on “Two” and “These Dreams” are charming, after which the sisters enter into a near-suite of strong rockers, including a terrific “Beautiful Broken” and “Mashallah!” Throughout the 16-song set, Nancy underscores her place in rock history as a rhythm guitarist of distinction, while Ann shows that she can still vocally travel from a hush to a shout. What is most satisfying, however, is the interesting new textures that Heart brings to signature tunes, offering more than an oldies act. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include an interview with the band. Recommended. (T. Keogh)