IMMIGRANT SONG - ANN WILSON
It’s natural for Ann Wilson to take a stab at “Immigrant Song,” considering her long-professed love for Led Zeppelin. And if anyone’s got the pipes to blow Robert Plant’s caterwaul through the roof, it’s Heart’s formidable frontwoman. So imagine the letdown when, instead of setting off a powerhouse wail, a la “Alone,” Wilson settles for subdued “ah-ah-ahs” relegated to the background. The revamped song holds back on Jimmy Page’s galloping licks until the finale, where smears of strings, pondering bass, crisp percussion and shakers at least propel the thundering track. Even those who grew up with Zeppelin will need a few moments before they recognize it. Distinctly modern, interestingly executed and — while wanna-be divas should still bow to Wilson’s fierce soprano — vocally puzzling.
