Gosh... I am buzzing over this news. In fact, I think it's the most exciting thing to happen in the FM family since the release of
Say You Will. This is so shocking and unexpected as much as it seems like it has been foreshadowed and seems inevitable. Considering that Stevie and Sheryl have not exactly been BFFs publicly as of late, this is especially shocking. Oh, the possibilities are just infinite!!!
The reasons why this makes sense:
-The obvious Stevie-Sheryl girl power connection.
-Lindsey's respect and admiration for Sheryl and their common love of quirky studio trickery.
-Sheryl played keyboards on the SYW, which also features a song written about Sheryl.
-Sheryl fans tend to be FM fans and vice versa.
-Sheryl has matured into a veteran musician with legit singing, songwriting and performing chops.
-Sheryl's innate musical style is very similar to FM. Listen to "It Don't Hurt" and tell me it was not influenced by "The Chain."
The wonderful possibilities:
-Perhaps Sheryl's multi-faceted talents as a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist and singer will help to pare down the "Fleetwood Mac Orchestra" live lineup we've been seeing since 1987. Perhaps it won't be necessary for Carlos Rios or Jana to be in this lineup (one hopes)!!
-Sheryl and Stevie dueting on "Strong Enough."
-Inspiring the band to enter the studio and hopefully bringing keyboards back into the mix.
-Sheryl ALWAYS changes up her setlist. Perhaps some of that will rub off on FM.
-Sheryl may be able to revive some really obscure nuggets from the FM catalog, especially from the early 70's, like the way Rick Vito revived "Another Woman." Her take would be so different that she could pull it off without sounding like she is trying to do an imitation.
-I can't wait to see the five of them together at the inevitable press conference!
What could go wrong:
-Sheryl had better keep a low profile ala Christine. There is only room for ONE diva in FM. This means man-tailored suit jackets and jeans ONLY.
-Sheryl's voice is not as warm and full as Christine's, which will totally change the sound of the harmonies.
-Sheryl should sing no more than two solo songs. Ironically, I think "A Change Would Do You Good" would be perfect (and apt) for FM. "Strong Enough" should be the other.
-Sheryl should be allowed to sing only one Christine song besides "Don't Stop," which Lindsey sings mostly anyway. "You Make Loving Fun" would be it. Any more Christine songs would just magnify her absence.
-Sheryl has got a very large vocal range compared to Stevie, so she'd better keep the
mellisma in check.
I am really, really, really excited about this. This news just made my whole week!
