Wilson still feeling fierce

“Fierce Bliss,” by Ann Wilson (Silver Lining Music)

A cynic might wonder if artists simply run out of things to say as they get older, but it stands to reason that the more life experience we accumulate, the more tales and observations we’ll have to share. So while the world in general and the music industry in specific have greatly changed since Heart frontwoman Ann Wilson was a queen of rock during her Seattle band’s heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, Wilson’s life didn’t go into limbo when the hits stopped coming. And she sounds as confident as ever on her new, aptly titled “Fierce Bliss,” which a press statement teases as “classic rock comfort food.”

That said, the release defies modern conventions that call for tight track editing – fully five of the 11 songs are 5 minutes or longer, and they feel even longer in their meandering guitarfueled stretches. However, it’s fair to note that Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s searing work as lead guitarist on a cover of Robin Trower’s “Bridge of Sighs,” as well as his contribution to Wilson’s unexpected cover of Eurythmics’ “Missionary Man,” stand out.

As for Wilson, she’s gutsy in the hard-driving rock opener “Greed” and she brings an element of timeless class to closing ballad “As the World Turns.” And naturally she embraces the femme fatale theme of “Forget Her,” becoming one with the darkly ethereal atmosphere as she sings, “Don’t fool yourself, she was heartache from the moment that you met her.”

Although the periodic ponderous pacing diminishes both the intensity and joy of “Fierce Bliss,” and cheesy theatrics add a “filler” feeling to throwaway tracks like “Gladiator” and “Angel’s Blues,” Ann Wilson still has something to say.

And she also still has the pipes to express it.