Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Ode To an Enchanted Rock Legend - Stevie Nicks


I’ve always had a fascination with Stevie Nicks, the one-time drugged-out, esoteric "witch" queen of the 70’s rock scene, her lace and spacey fantasy lyrics reaching across the last four decades like a low and throaty howl.  Lovers dance in a carefree world of finery, calling to mind Shakespearian costumes full of frilly lace, beautiful damsels from enchanted castles and all manner of fairy tale heroes and heroines as Stevie paints pictures with words of inviting, mystical fantasy landscapes.
     That’s the poetry and feeling of the music of Stevie Nicks, captured on her 3 CD set Enchanted, featuring her hits, some personal favorites, and brimming with rarities.  Stevie isn’t for all tastes, and my love for her music has waned somewhat over the years, especially considering some of the New Age mysticism she tends to dabble in.  I'm a right-wing conservative, and she is not, obviously!  Nowhere is this clearer than in some of the lyrics to Fleetwood Mac's Say You Will CD.  Her voice has also taken on a husky tone over the years that unfortunately comes with age.
     Despite all of that, I was very impressed by the late 90's Fleetwood Mac concert The Dance.  Stevie seemed revitalized, and there was a rapport with her band mates and the audience that took on a new style of nostalgia and maturity that only a band as long lived as Fleetwood Mac can attain, and even THAT was over ten years ago!  Her career’s work outside of Fleetwood Mac is also very impressive, as heard on Enchanted and her CD's released since then, Trouble in Shangri-La, her latest Greatest Hits package, Crystal Visions - The Best of Stevie Nicks (with all the videos!), and her 2011 release, In Your Dreams
     Her recent appearance on American Idol shows she is starting to act like a bit of a grandma, but that's to be expected, and she still looks quite good.  Her skin simply glows, and she has aged quite gracefully.
     She called her boxed set Enchanted.  I always was.

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