Ann Wilson’s poignant new album Immortal was released Friday after months of anticipation. Fittingly titled, the album features 10 musically diverse tracks that pay homage to some of the singer’s favorite artists, all of whom have passed away in recent years but whose musical legacy lives on (the full track listing is below). “I didn’t think of it as much as a covers album, as I think of it as a way for me to honor the expressions they left,” she says. “It’s not that sad of a thing, because the music lives.”

Wilson opens the album with Lesley Gore’s 1963 feminist anthem “You Don’t Own Me” but with her own powerful take on the familiar song. “I think that song has come to be way more universal now,” she explains. “It could be the anthem of anyone who wants respect, anyone at all, not just women. I think we’re in a time where we’re having a discourse now as a culture about who people really are and how it’s important to accept people, and so I thought the song really fits. I think it’s really meaningful in today’s world.”

Not one to shy from controversy, Wilson has chosen another highly topical song for 2018 – David Bowie’s “I’m afraid of Americans.”

“I decided to do [‘I’m Afraid of Americans’] because it’s so relevant for right now,” Wilson explains. “I liked taking the position of looking at Americans from a longer viewpoint. He was a Brit looking at Americans — and it’s not hateful toward Americans, it’s just sort of a whimsical thing. It says some real true things. And what I tried to do with the song was make the production full of sounds and feelings from other countries, so the message about America is put into the perspective of the rest of the world.”

The finely etched tracks that comprise Immortal cover a lot of musical ground, with many highlights including George Michael’s “A Different Corner,” Tom Petty’s “Luna” (featuring Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers/ Gov’t Mule), Leonard Cohen’s “A Thousand Kisses Deep” and “I Am the Highway” in honor of Chris Cornell.

For Immortal Wilson teamed up with original Heart producer Mike Flicker (Dreamboat Annie, Magazine, Little Queen, Dog and Butterfly and Bebe Le Strange, among others). “Mike was the first producer to believe in me. He was my first teacher in the studio and knows how to provide that special support needed to bring out my soul in the recording process. It is exciting to work with him for the first time since 1980. I have traveled many, many miles since then but the old feeling is still there and fresh on Immortal. He has fearlessly helped me bring my ideas to life once again and it’s been a great collaboration.”

Track Listing:

1. You Don’t Own Me (Lesley Gore)
2. I Am the Highway (Chris Cornell, Audioslave)
3. Luna (Tom Petty)
4. I’m Afraid of Americans (David Bowie)
5. Politician (Cream)(in honor of Jack Bruce)
6. A Thousand Kisses Deep (Leonard Cohen)
7. Life in the Fast Lane (Joe Walsh, The Eagles)(in honor of Glenn Frey)
8. Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
9. A Different Corner (George Michael)
10. Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty)