On August 28, Alanis Morissette will release Havoc And Bright Lights, the follow-up to 2008’s Flavors Of Entanglement. That album — unbelievably four years old now — was produced by Guy Sigsworth (Frou Frou, Björk, Madonna), who’s back behind the board for her latest effort, with additional production by Joe Chiccarelli (Rachael Yamagata, Jason Mraz).

Havoc And Bright Lights is the Canadian singer-songwriter’s ninth studio album, counting her time as a teen pop star in the Great White North (and 2005’s acoustic version of Jagged Little Pill). Having fulfilled her Maverick Records contract with Flavors Of Entanglement, Morissette stepped away from the music scene to act on Weeds (memorably playing Nancy Botwin’s obstetrician/Andy’s love interest), get married, and give birth to a son. One imagines these experiences will inform her new music.

The chorus to first single, “Guardian,” certainly seems to spring from a maternal perspective: “I’ll be your keeper for life, as your guardian / I’ll be your warrior of care / Your first warden / I’ll be your angel on call / I’ll be on demand / The greatest honor of all, as your guardian.”

With Morissette now something of a legacy artist and the musical landscape even more different than four years ago, “Guardian” might have trouble garnering airplay. Nonetheless, it’s a great addition to her body of work.

Alanis Morissette – “Guardian” is out on 5/15.