Ann Wilson’s Bluesy, Soulful Take On Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” Is Out Of This World

the ann wilson thing Rocks The Kate

At this point in Ann Wilson’s career, we’re pretty sure she could sing the alphabet song and still move an entire crowd – that’s how massive her voice is, and that’s exactly what happened when the 65-year-old Heart singer took on a Buffalo Springfield classic. In an appearance on feisty live music series The Kate, the Seattle based rocker and her passion project the ann wilson thing brought the house down with a funky, soul infused version of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” breathing new life into the Vietnam era protest song.

Where most singers voices begin to deteriorate over time as they paint themselves into a vocal range corner, not only does Ann not have that problem, but she’s probably the best she’s ever been; that husky rasp has had decades to marinate and projects like the ann wilson thing give Ann a chance to showcase and explore the strong blues and soul influence that’s colored her work with Heart over the years, making for a brand new experience with one of rock’s most celebrated voices.

Fun Fact: Ann’s got a vocal range spanning 3 octaves and one note, ranging from C3 to D6.

We’ll admit, this version of “For What It’s Worth” sounds almost nothing like the original penned by Stephen Stills in 1967, but that’s what we love about it! It’s equal parts protest song and “Sympathy For The Devil,” and the way Ann bridges the gap between classic rock and soul for this classic is absolutely out of this world. Don’t forget to check it out in the footage below!