Reviewed: Stevie Nicks 'In Your Dreams' Rating: 8/10 stars

By Liveguide Contributor - Trent Schupp

Thirty years after her first solo album Bella Donna, Stevie Nicks’ latest work In Your Dreams is an inspired collection of songs co-written and produced by the accomplished Dave Stewart – most noted for his work with the Eurythmics. While unlikely to reach the popularity of anything bearing the Fleetwood Mac brand, this album deserves to be rated as one of the finest pieces of work to come out so far this year.

Still largely known as “from Fleetwood Mac” – Nicks hasn’t been able to define herself as an artist whose solo success matches her past achievements. However, she definitely can do it on her own – Rolling Stone dubbed her “The Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll” after her first solo album. With the mix of rock, Italian ballad and folk on In Your Dreams, perhaps that title should be extended.

'Secret Love', the album’s first track, is a solid start with an unmistakable Stevie Nicks / Fleetwood Mac melody you know could easily be found on one of their albums – indeed it’s a relic of hers from the 70s. Although having to accommodate two other songwriters on a Fleetwood album was a severe constraint at the time, one of the advantages now is the quality of her held-onto 'leftovers'.

In Your Dreams with a few exceptions does without Mick Fleetwood’s booming drums or Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar inspiration. This is the product of Nicks having matured through the ups and downs of the Fleetwood Mac years and then her solo career – from the dizzying heights of Rumours, to the lows of her highly publicised cocaine addiction.

This album is refreshingly varied but the focus is on her vocals – and that’s no shame for Nicks' voice still sounds amazing – albeit with a stronger husk to it these days. 'For What It’s Worth' is a catchy folk track and 'Wide Sargasso Sea' offers a drum dominated beat that gently reminds of Mick Fleetwood. There is even a touching tribute to Edgar Allan Poe’s poem 'Annabel Lee' written in 1849.

This is one of those releases in which everyone will find a different favourite. However, for me, it’s 'Soldier’s Angel' and Lindsey Buckingham’s contribution to it. The modern day Fleetwood Mac formula is very evident in its similar structure to some of the Say You Will tracks (such as 'Illume' and 'Smile At You'). Although the Nicks / Buckingham relationship is clearly more strained now than it was in the beginning of the Fleetwood Mac era, when these two get together there is a lasting tenderness in what they do that makes their work very powerful.

Penultimate track, a powerful romantic ballad 'Italian Summer', left me amazed at the variety in the album and the versatility of Nicks who is indeed no doubt one of the finest ever musicians.

Rating: 8/10 stars

In Your Dreams is out now, for more information visit the official Stevie Nicks website here

STEVIE NICKS LIVE IN GRAND PRAIRIE, TX - AUGUST 12TH

STEVIE NICKS LIVE

Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie

Grand Prairie, TX

Fri, August 12, 2011 08:00 PM

Onsale to General Public

Start: Fri, 06/24/11 10:00 AM CDT

Check Ticketmaster for Presales

Ticket Prices

US $65.00 - US $250.00

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(Reviews) Stevie Nicks 'In Your Dreams' 'Soldier's Angel' is the most powerful musical tribute to servicemen to be recorded in years.

From the Sydney (Australia) Daily Telegraph 

"Best Weekend" Magazine

June 11, 2011

TRANSLATION: After ten years of absence, the legendary Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac fundamental part, author of radio gems like "Dreams," "Sara" or "Rihannon") returns to disc with In Your Dreams and a deluxe kit: the former Eurythmics Dave Stewart in the production, Waddy Wachtel and by Mike Campbell on guitars (X Pensive Winos and Heartbreakers, respectively) and his former teammates Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood, and others. And the result is as expected: soft rock ideal for touring the California coast from any beach on a sunny summer afternoon. "Secret Love" dating from 1976 (Rumours era) and it sounds so good and high fidelity as the plaque, the subject title of the album is one of those rocks up tempo that only the Knicks can sign, the ballad "New Orleans" honors Jazz City post-Katrina, "Moonlight" refers both to the Twilight saga as to overcome insomnia chemical singer for "Annabel Lee" puts music to the eponymous poem by Edgar Allan Poe, almost ghostly appearance of the voice of Buckingham in "Soldier's Angel" Arab air power an issue that could have made Tusk and the duet with Stewart in "Cheaper Than Free" is a great final flourish. Gypsy Queen of Rock is back in good shape, and both his fans and audiences anonymous (Courtney Love and Tom Petty) we compliments.

Stevie Nicks interviews for SGN Pride Music edition

Stand back, because we've got the Bella Donna herself - not all to ourselves, but kind of. 

Legendary rock queen Stevie Nicks is a special guest in our upcoming Pride Music issue on June 24. The Fleetwood Mac frontwoman and acclaimed solo artist, who performed at Key Arena a month ago, is one of the closest-followed divas in the country and around the world by Gay men. As both a songwriter and distinct vocalist, songs like 'Sara,' 'Dreams,' 'Edge of Seventeen,' 'Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You,' and 'Gypsy' are true pop classics that hold their own to this day. In fact, the Emmy-winning show Glee dedicated an entire second season episode to the nostalgic Rumours album.

Nicks spoke with select media this week by teleconference, a rarity given that she grants a very limited number of interviews. So you can find out what we asked Nicks, and what other questions she responded to, on June 24.

by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer June 4th 

SGN.org 

Still the Reigning Queen of Rock >> Stevie Nicks has once again donned her signature shawls and platform boots to promote "In Your Dreams"

Sort of a repost.. Great interview that I originally posted from the Afterellen site awhile back.  This one is similar but seems longer and written a bit differently.

By Stephan Horbelt
FrontiersLA.com

Stevie Nicks has enchanted music lovers with her ethereal songwriting and mystical rock goddess persona since the mid-1970s. A member of the rock supergroup Fleetwood Mac and also a successful solo artist, Nicks has once again donned her signature shawls and platform boots to promote her first solo album in a decade, the well-received In Your Dreams. The writer of such hit songs as “Dreams,” “Rhiannon” and “Stand Back,” among countless others, sat down with Frontiers to discuss the new record, as well as the love she has for her LGBT fanbase and the notion of someday writing her memoirs for the world to read.

‘AN ACID TRIP WITHOUT THE ACID’

Dave Stewart, best known as one-half of The Eurythmics, played a large part in the success of In Your Dreams. Though Nicks had never before worked with Stewart, he came onto the project as a producer and co-songwriter and was able to create real magic during their sessions. The seven songs that resulted from their pairing are some of the strongest tracks on the album.

Asked what it was like to work with the legendary musician, Nicks replied that it was “the best thing ever.” She continued, “We made the record at my house. We turned my whole two-story house into a recording studio and we used every part of the house—the backyard, the upstairs, the downstairs, all the rooms. We had dinners every night catered by one of my goddaughters, so we broke at 7:30 each night and talked about politics and music and the world, and then went back and worked for another two hours. It was like a happening. It was like an acid trip without the acid.

“We just had the best time. Dave really has the ability to create a world of magic, where you feel magical. And there is, in our situation, never a harsh word, never a raised voice, never an argument, no egos happening at all, so he and I were able to write seven songs. And I have never written a song with anybody.

“I write with Michael Campbell [of The Heartbreakers], but he sends me tracks in the mail, so I don’t sit in the room with him. I’ve written with a few people who have sent me tracks. But I have never written a song with a real, live human being that is sitting two feet from me, because I never wanted to share that experience. And I never thought it was possible that it could happen.

“So the first day he was there—I’m sitting here in the house right now looking around at all the equipment that we haven’t taken down—he just said ‘OK, well here is a poem that you wrote that I like, so let’s use this poem.’ And he just started playing. We had a Pro Tools rig set up, so we were recording. I just started to recite my words in a sing-songy sort of way, and in a half-hour we had written a song. And my world changed. The golden doors opened, and I understood why Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote together for the first time in my life. If you can find somebody that is not egotistical and does not get their feeling hurt—[who isn’t] hurt if you look at them and say, ‘you know, I don’t really like that part,’ then the world is your oyster. And he did that with me. He allowed me to just be like a child and be totally free.

“And this record—I’m sorry that it’s done. I’m sorry that we’re not gathering here at 2 in the afternoon anymore. When it was done in February, I sat down on my red couch in front of my fireplace and started to cry, because I was just so sad that part of the experience was over."

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM NEW ALBUM AND LIVE DVD - FULL TRACKLIST

by Your Way To Music

On 5 September 2011, Eagle Rock Entertainment is delighted to release “Seeds We Sow” [Cat No EAGCD448], the new studio album from Lindsey Buckingham, his first since “Gift Of Screws” in 2008. “Seeds We Sow” is an excellent, new collection from the revered producer, songwriter, singer and guitarist of Fleetwood Mac. This album release will be followed by release of a new live concert DVD & Blu-ray in October, featuring tracks from the new album plus classic solo and Fleetwood Mac tracks from across Lindsey Buckingham’s incredible career.

The album is a showcase for his distinctive guitar picking style and instantly recognizable voice. The songs cover a broad spectrum from the simple guitar and vocals of the opening title track through the rockier style of “That’s The Way Love Goes” to the more complex arrangement and harmonies of “When She Comes Down”. As on previous solo albums, there is also a cover of a little known Rolling Stones track “She Smiled Sweetly”, which first appeared on the Stones’ 1967 album “Between The Buttons”. Lindsey Buckingham recorded “Seeds We Sow” in his home studio in Los Angeles and played the majority of the instruments himself, as well as mixing and producing.

Tracklisting
1) Seeds We Sow
2) In Our Own Time
3) Illumination
4) That’s The Way Love Goes
5) Stars Are Crazy
6) When She Comes Down
7) Rock Away Blind
8) One Take
9) Gone Too Far
10) End Of Time
11) She Smiled Sweetly

A new Lindsey Buckingham album is always to be treasured and “Seeds We Sow” fully lives up to the high standards he has previously set himself, both as a solo artist and with Fleetwood Mac.