EP Review: Ann Wilson - The Daybreaks
Cheesy and of its era, the Daybreaks is nevertheless an enjoyable listen.
The four-song EP represents “the start of my career,” Ann Wilson said in a statement announcing the re-release of four 1969 singles that “only sold a handful of copies” and were billed to Ann Wilson & the Daybreaks
Melding country-infused pop dappled in psychedelia, with rimshot percussion and organ that sounds like a toy, “Standing Watching You,” “I’m Gonna’ Drink My Hurt Away” and “Wonder How I Managed” could’ve easily been hits had they showed up a couple of years earlier during the Summer of Love.
The Wilson who would become Heart’s hippie leader is most evident on the closing track, and the EP’s lone original, “Through Eyes and Glass.” It features Wilson’s trademark flute and wobbles along on simple electric-guitar progression.
Round the station darkness falls/silence falls against the walls/and a girl waiting there with gentle hands for a man, she sings.
More than a curiosity, less than a lost classic, the Daybreaks is ultimately a long-overdue look at pre-Dreamboat, Annie and proves the voice was there long before the material arrived.
Grade card: Ann Wilson - The Daybreaks - B-
5/25/21
