Desire Walks On

by Alex HendersonWhen Desire Walks On came out in 1993, a lot of arena rock, pop-metal and hair metal artists felt like the rug was being pulled out from under them. Alternative rock had become rock's primary direction, and bands like Heart were being made to feel antiquated and passé. Desire Walks On had a lot working against it--not only did have Heart have to contend with radical changes in the marketplace, but also, the CD suffers from unevenness and a shortage of really strong material. Although Desire Walks On isn't a bad album, it isn't one of the Wilson Sisters' more memorable albums either. The catchy "Back To Avalon" is a gem, and Heart is enjoyable on Robert "Mutt" Lange's power ballad "Will You Be There (In The Morning)," the adult contemporary ballad "The Woman in Me" and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells." But on the whole, Desire Walks On is unimpressive. Obviously the least essential of Heart's Capitol releases, this CD is strictly for completists.