Arrow (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

We hate to use the phrase, but you’ve got to admit that Erika Wennerstrom is something of a rock ’n’ roll goddess. It’s rare that any rocker worth his or her salt can straddle the old and the new with ease, displaying a passion so palpable you can smell the sweat accompanying each downstroke. Wennerstrom is a versatile guitarist who’s got the rock bite of Chrissie Hynde, the wounded blues howl of singers like Cat Power and PJ Harvey, and the classic-rock soul of the women of Heart—all in one combustible package. As on past Heartless Bastards records, the tunes cover a lot of musical territory, from the Appalachian twang of “Low Low Low” to the T. Rex–pumped “Got to Have Rock and Roll” and the slow-motion, hard rock crunch of “Down in the Canyon.” Wennerstrom’s distinct voice tunnels through the propulsive, blistering “Simple Feeling” and mesmerizes on the slow-burning “Marathon” and the haunting “The Arrow Killed the Beast.” The single “Parted Ways” turns into a raging foot-stomper that rivals Springsteen at his most triumphant.