Ann Wilson has suggested that Heart will release new music as part of a celebration of their 50th anniversary, in 2023. The singer made the revelation while talking to Eamon O’Neill of eonmusic about her new album, Fierce Bliss, which is set for release April 29 via Silver Lining Music.
Speaking about the challenge of releasing new music away from Heart, Ann said: “It’s only challenging really because people need to be convinced that they can enjoy my stuff without the Heart name on it. I think that’s the only part about this that’s really challenging, but musically, it’s been just a joy and a pleasure, and it’s taught me a lot about what I can do, and it’s led me to be a better song writer, and a better singer, I think, just doing solo stuff."
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also spoke about the band’s induction in 2013, and her friendship with Chris Cornell. The Soundgarden singer inducted the Seattle band. “He was such a sweet soul; complicated, dynamic, troubled, and just to see him up there just glowing, and giving this thing was really moving to me." She added, “I had no idea that he even cared about our band that much. We knew each other as friends, but we never talked together about Heart before, so it was kind of a cool moment."
Wilson went on to reveal that Cornell’s death hit her hard; “It pretty much knocked the wind out of everybody who knew him, because although there were hints of it over the years that he was deeply unhappy, no one expected that”, she said; “so it took a minute to absorb that loss.”
Finally, Ann shared an update on plans for Heart’s five decade celebration, which is due to hit in 2023. “Well, it’s still early days, and I can say that we have plans for it”, she said.
Expanding, she revealed; “It’s going to be a very cool event, and yeah, we’re going to make a really good thing out of the big birthday celebration, and maybe even an album, so we’ll see. It’s happening, I just can’t talk about it yet because it’s so early.”
Read the full interview at eonmusic.co.uk.
One of the premier hard rock vocalists of all-time, Wilson smashed boundaries with her band Heart, the 8-times Platinum, 35 million-plus selling Rock and Roll Hall of Fame trailblazers who formed in 1973. During a decades-long career, Wilson rode the roller coaster of fame, fortune and madness, learning both joyous and hard, hard lessons along the way. Fast forward to Summer 2020, and a meeting with legendary veteran ‘artist’s lawyer’ Brian Rohan provided the catalyst for Fierce Bliss’s creation.
“Getting to know him, talking to him and his belief in me made me go: ‘the hell with this sitting around the house, I’ve always wanted to record at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, I’m just going to go do it, I have some songs!” Wilson states firmly. “Brian recommended people to me that knew people in Nashville, so I met [famed Nashville session guitarist] Tom Bukovac and Tony Lucido at those Muscle Shoals sessions. I’d never met them before, and they really inspired me. It was like a big door opening. Put it this way, we’re now a band.”
With the musical chemistry organically established, Fierce Bliss came together quickly. “It grew from that first session at Muscle Shoals,” furthers Wilson, “I had originally intended to go in, record a few songs and see what I had, but it just took on this life. Jim Zumwalt, the attorney, got a hold of it and said I should look at a few other people. We went into Sound Stage in Nashville, where 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. I’d known Warren Haynes from Government Mule for a while, we’d written a couple songs together with Government Mule playing, and those rounded out the record. So all of a sudden, where there was no record before, suddenly I had eleven cool songs that I really liked.”
Fierce Bliss is not just an album for fans of Ann Wilson and Heart, it is an album for everyone seeking a lavish ticket out of the sharp edges of an increasingly fraught society. Fierce Bliss also marks perhaps the first time in her illustrious career that Ann Wilson has truly felt the wind in her wings, something which might seem a strange statement given her pioneering history.
Fierce Bliss is available to pre-order here on CD Casebound Book (deluxe package), Vinyl and Digital formats.
Fierce Bliss tracklisting:
"Greed"
"Black Wing"
"Bridge Of Sighs"
"Fighten for Life"
"Love Of My Life" (feat. Vince Gill)
"Missionary Man"
"Gladiator"
"Forget Her"
"A Moment In Heaven"
"Angel’s Blues" *
"As The World Turns"
* Available on CD and digital formats only
"A Moment In Heaven" lyric video:
"Missionary Man":
"Greed" video:
Lineup:
Ann Wilson - Vocals
Tom Bukovac - Guitar
Tony Lucido - Bass
Sean T Lane - Drums, Percussion & Bike
Gordon Mote - Keyboards
Tim Lauer - Keyboards
- Produced by Ann Wilson and Tom Bukovac
- “Gladiator” and “Angel’s Blues” produced by Ann Wilson and Warren Haynes
- Mixed by Chuck Ainlay
- Recorded by Chuck Ainlay at Fame Studios, Muscle Shoals, AL and Soundstage, Nashville, TN
- “Gladiator” and “Angel’s Blues” recorded by Joe Paterno at Power Station, Waterford, CT
- "Black Wing" recorded by Sean Walker at Uberbeatz, Lynnwood, WA
- Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, NJ
- Executive Producer Jim Zumwalt
Musicians who appear on Fierce Bliss:
Vocals - Vince Gill on “Love of My Life”
Lead Guitar - Kenny Wayne Shepherd on “Bridge of Sighs” and “Missionary Man”
Guitar - Warren Haynes on “Gladiator” and “Angel’s Blues”
Guitar - Tyler Boley on “Black Wing”
Keyboards - Danny Louis on “Gladiator” and “Angel’s Blues”
Keyboards - Dan Walker on “Black Wing”
Bass - Jorgen Carlsson on “Gladiator” and “Angel’s Blues”
Bass - Andy Stoller on “Black Wing”
Drums - Matt Abts on “Gladiator” and “Angel’s Blues”
Choir - The Rev Nathan Young Singers on “Missionary Man”
Tour dates:
May
4 - San Francisco, CA - Great American
5 - Napa, CA - The Uptown Theatre
7 - Pala, CA - Pala Casino
9 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
10 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
13 - Los Cabos, MEX - Hard Rock
June
11 - Peachtree City, GA - Fred Amphitheater
13/14 - Nashville, TN - Basement East
16 - Tampa, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa
17 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Parker
Tickets can be purchased here.
(Photo courtesy of Ann Wilson)
