Out Now: Heart’s Ann Wilson as Free as She Wants to Be on New Solo Record, ‘Fierce Bliss’ (Listen)

Unbound by the demands of chasing a “hit” record, Ann Wilson is free to be exactly who she wants to be.

And with Fierce Bliss, the new studio album from the iconic Heart singer/songwriter made available today, April 28, she sounds reinvigorated by this freedom.

“It’s all about the music,” said Wilson of her creative perspective at this point in her career in Rock Cellar’s feature interview about Fierce Bliss. “It’s all about having a voice. Having something to say and saying it.”

New record out now! pic.twitter.com/mjcoRr9wht

— Ann Wilson (@AnnWilson) April 29, 2022

Throughout the album’s songs, Wilson definitely does have something to say on tracks like “Greed,” which she told us was inspired by ” … the materialistic nature of our culture, it’s really at an all-time high. The disparity between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots, it’s like everybody is on the make.

“Rich and poor, everybody wants more. It’s a phenomenon that I’ve never seen before at this level. And I look at my own nature sometimes and I have to shake my head and go, “wow, do you really want to do more online shopping?”

Click here to pick up Fierce Bliss on CD from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pick up Fierce Bliss on LP from our Rock Cellar Store

Fierce Bliss also features a handful of cover songs selected by Wilson as representative of some of her biggest influences, including Eurythmics (“Missionary Man”) and “Bridge of Sighs,” originally by Robin Trower.

“I’ve always loved that song,” said Wilson of Trower’s song. “When it came out back in the ’70s, before I was even really recording, I just loved that song and I thought it was one of the best blues songs of all time. On a deep, dark, existential level, you’re teetering on the edge of the abyss in that song. So it was really great and of course, [guitarist] Kenny Wayne Shepherd really nailed it.”

With Heart’s future in flux at the moment, Wilson had all the time she needed to put into this project — though the future of her legendary band with sister Nancy Wilson is reaching a milestone soon:

“Next year is our 50th anniversary. I’m having an event, I’m going to invite everyone who’s ever been in the band and that will be recorded. And then we’ll see what happens beyond that.”

By the time those plans come to fruition, and here’s hoping they do, she’ll be back to being Heart’s Ann Wilson — but for right now, with Fierce Bliss, she’s entertaining a personal side of her musical identity, and her new material is well worth the journey.

Listen to Fierce Bliss below.