RELEASES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO,
“A MOMENT IN HEAVEN,”
FROM UPCOMING ALBUM FIERCE BLISS
COVER ART BY ROGER DEAN
FIERCE BLISS IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER HERE
Ann Wilson releases the brand-new single, “A Moment In Heaven,” taken from the upcoming album, Fierce Bliss, set for release April 29 via Silver Lining Music.
“’A Moment In Heaven’ tells the story of a one-hit-wonder in the star-maker machinery of Hollywood: the sublime cruelty of transient fame.” – Ann Wilson
“A Moment In Heaven” carries a specific point of reference for Wilson but could easily apply to anyone who has seen their career suddenly bathed in a bright beam of glory before the spotlight is abruptly moved elsewhere. “It’s one of those anti-Hollywood screed things,” offers Wilson, “the meat grinder of the music image maker machine and what it feels like to be on the inside of that. All of a sudden, it’s ‘happening’ on all thrusters, you’ve got a number one record and everyone’s pouring champagne telling you how much you ‘deserve this.’ You’re in heaven! But then the cruel reality comes down… what’s the next one? Can you follow that? It’s all about the short-lived glamour and ecstasy of being successful in the rock business.”
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 the summer of 2020 and a road-trip with her husband (all aboard a rented tour bus with protocols observed!) saw Wilson in the Bay Area, where she ran into the legendary veteran ‘artist’s lawyer’ Brian Rohan; it was 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 now on CD Casebound Book (deluxe package), Vinyl and Digital formats here.
Wilson will soon be hitting the road with her new band, and make no mistake, she’s a performer at heart thus her excitement is palpable.
‘AN EVENING WITH ANN WILSON OF HEART & THE AMAZING DAWGS’ Tour will kick off on February 19 at Family Gras in Metairie, LA, with more dates to be announced soon.
MAY 4 – San Francisco, CA – Great American
MAY 5 – Napa, CA – The Uptown Theatre
MAY 7 – Pala, CA – Pala Casino
MAY 9 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
MAY 10 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
MAY 13 – Toronto, ONT – Scotiabank Arena (with Journey)
MAY 16 – Quebec City, QUE – Videotron Centre (with Journey)
JUNE 11 – Peachtree City, GA – Fred Brown Amph
JUNE 13 – Nashville, TN – Basement East
JUNE 14 – Nashville, TN – Basement East
JUNE 16 – Tampa, FL – Hard Rock
JUNE 17 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – The Parker
JUNE 24 – Joliet, IL – ATI Field at Joliet Memorial Stadium (Taste of Joliet)
JULY 30 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest22 Heartbeat
Tickets can be purchased at this location
Fierce Bliss Track Listing:
- 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
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”
FOLLOW ANN WILSON ONLINE:
Photographer and Editor/Founder of AllMusicMagazine.com. My love of live music has taken me to incredible experiences with the top bands of all time in stadium shows to the smallest venues with equally inspiring musicians. Using the medium of photography and my publication, these memories will last forever.