Released: April 29
Ann Wilson cuts to the heart of the matter on her stomping new solo LP ‘Fierce Bliss’.
Having debuted in 1975 with the legendary Heart, the hitmaker went on to become one of the world’s premier rock vocalists, belting out global megahits such as Never, All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You and the mighty Alone. But on her latest project, the singer channels the lessons of her years into a collection that represents Ann Wilson today, while remaining sonically ageless.
The result is an album that is simultaneously entertaining, engaging, honest and safe harbor from a world that, in recent times, has proven both unprecedented and unpredictable.
Her frustration is clear from the onset: ‘I’m an angel, I’m a lush / I want nothing, I want too much,’ she growls on album opener Greed, a fierce, storming number that sees the music icon channel her anger towards excess and hedonism.
“Greed is that thing in our animal nature that makes us want MORE,” she says of the number. “Whether it be money, sex, power or ecstasy, it fires our craving! It happens with all of us. When you turn around and catch yourself making decisions because you want the money, or because you’re caught in the headlights of glory, well, those are greedy moments.”
The album isn’t the project she originally intended to create and what started as a series of casual studio sessions soon delivered the framework of ‘Fierce Bliss’, featuring original co-writes and standout cover versions that bring light and shade for an LP with its heart rooted in the ‘70s.
“I had originally intended to go in, record a few songs and see what I had, but it just took on this life,” she explains. “At Sound Stage in Nashville, Kenny Wayne Shepherd came in and played on a couple songs. He was a whole other influence coming in. He just played his butt off, and with the gospel singers and everything else coming together, the whole project just started to grow.”
There’s plenty to eat up: the earworm A Moment in Heaven documents her rise to global stardom and the inevitable fading of success with the changing times, while cover versions – such as Queen’s Love of My Life and Robin Trower’s Bridge of Sighs – offer her take on the sounds of her contemporaries, of which her rendition of Eurythmics’ Missionary Man is a standout.
In addition to rockers, other cuts offer a deep spirituality, with Black Wing and Angel’s Blues exploring different dimensions of the superstar aside from her rock and roll persona.
“I think that for someone who’s been through as much as I have, and has lived to tell the tales, it’s okay to share my experiences,” says the rocker of her enduring career and legacy. “I’ve heard from a lot of younger musicians and listeners too who have thanked me for staying around and for just keeping upright, just making it through, making the concessions once but not twice, and being able to live through it all with dignity.”
More than 45 years into her career, ‘Fierce Bliss’ is Ann’s first solo album to feature original material – we only wish there was more! But if the quality of the tracks on offer is anything to go by, it won’t be long before she hits the studio to work on a follow-up.
‘Fierce Bliss’ is available now.
