Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 4/5 Released: March 27, 2007 Reviewer: Tyrone Castanho |
I can remember being six or seven years old, all hopped up on punk and ‘80s metal, when my mom threw on a belting Stevie Nicks vocal track from her younger days. Don’t ask me why parents endeavour to force their kids to embrace the music of their time, but I’m thankful for the Fleetwood Mac exposure. Stevie Nicks’ haunting grasp of poetry has led to rumours of witchcraft, but her unique ability to maintain a cutting edge career as both a solo and band artist are what truly capture listeners.
Crystal Visions is a compilation album that spans the majority of her solo career with remastered sound and clarity monitored by Nicks herself and various production partners such as Sheryl Crow, John Shanks, and Jimmy Iovine. ‘Edge of Seventeen’ opens the album and some fans may recognize the opening guitar riff from the Destiny’s Child track ‘Bootylicious,’ further reinforcing the relevance of Nicks’ music for the contemporary listener. It’s no surprise, considering her work with long-time friend Waddy Wachtel has produced numerous memorable songs, including ‘Landslide.’
Her grassroots influence shines through on ‘Sorcerer,’ a song that exudes the southern state atmosphere of her Arizona background with expert guitar work and vocals. Of course, for some of us, you’ll wonder why there has been no mention of ‘I Can’t Wait’; the truth is, the song speaks for itself and needs no hyperbolic support considering the vocal track was performed once and once only. With talent at hand like that, the breadth of her work knows no bounds.
The album chases you with every direction it takes with some trance-dance worthy instrumentals. Honourable mentions go to ‘Silver Springs’ with its great Fleetwood Mac feature, ‘Dreams’ and the highlight, a cover of ‘Rock and Roll’ by Led Zeppelin.
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