Private Audition

by Jim SmithPrivate Audition starts tough with "City's Burnin'" (possibly the band's most underrated song), but it's dragged down by the trite songwriting that follows. The introspective "Bright Light Girl" is reminiscent of "Dreamboat Annie," but it lacks the sweet spontaneity that made the latter so successful. "Perfect Stranger" foreshadows the band's mid-'80s transformation from Zeppelin-esque hard rockers to power pop balladeers. The fact that Heart's success is divided cleanly between the two styles makes this transitional album fall all too forgettable in the middle.