24 Karat Gold: Reviews

[tabruns]

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

I don't have the liner notes in front of me, but didn't she also write the music for "New Orleans"? I seem to recall that she had written this song right after Katrina, and even sang a little bit of it to The Nola crowd on the "Unleashed" tour a year before she even decided to record with Dave. I could be wrong.

Nope, the music on "New Orleans" was by someone else.

[tabruns]

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

Even moreso than Rock A Little? I can't check now because I'm at work, but I think the only songs on RAL that have a 100% Stevie Nicks credit are Rock A Little, No Spoken Word, HAEWAFY and I Sing For The Things.

Well here's the credits:

I Can't Wait (Nicks/Nowels/Pressly)
Rock A Little (Nicks)
Sister Honey (Nicks/Dudek)
I Sing For The Things (Nicks)
Imperial Hotel (Nicks/Campbell)
Talk To Me (Sanford)
The Nightmare (Nicks/Nicks)
If I Were You (Nicks/Nowels)
No Spoken Word (Nicks)
Some Become Strangers (Williams/Latelevision/Rafelson)
Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You (Nicks/Olsen)

But they don't break out who wrote lyrics, who wrote music. We can generally assume Nicks wrote the lyrics in the co-writes, but does that mean she didn't write any of the music? Not sure.

HAEWAFY certainly sounds musically like her, even though Keith Olsen has a credit on it. I'm pretty sure she had a hand in the music on "The Nightmare".

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by sleepless child

I'm not sure what her fascination with Twisted is all about. It also was on Enchanted because she thought no one heard it on the movie sound track. But I wonder what it will sound like as a ballad.

Is that your thought or hers? I never heard her mention that. The demo version was a nice exclusive to the box set. I enkoy all three takes, much like all three versions of Crystal. Obviously she likes those songs enough that she feels the need to cover herself.
I see no issue with that.

[HoursAndHours]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

Is that your thought or hers? I never heard her mention that. The demo version was a nice exclusive to the box set. I enkoy all three takes, much like all three versions of Crystal. Obviously she likes those songs enough that she feels the need to cover herself.
I see no issue with that.

She's said this before, I think she even mentions it in the Enchanted liner notes. My copy is currently 2500 miles away, so someone else will have to verify this.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by HoursAndHours

She's said this before, I think she even mentions it in the Enchanted liner notes. My copy is currently 2500 miles away, so someone else will have to verify this.

Sadly so is mine, along with 98% of my possessions, which includes all of my music collection. It hurts not to have it with me.

[HoursAndHours]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

Sadly so is mine, along with 98% of my possessions, which includes all of my music collection. It hurts not to have it with me.

I am in exactly the same boat. Part of the price of grad school. At least it's in a safe place.

[sorcerer999]

I don't have my Enchanted liner notes in front of me either, but yes she does write something to the effect of, "If you saw the movie then you missed my song...and you missed the message of it, blah blah blah", then she says something about including the demo here in the box set so people could hear it.

[deribish]

http://www.pastemagazine.com/article...-vault-re.html

Stevie Nicks: 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault Review
By Holly Gleason
October 15, 2014

RATING: 7.1

Listening to 24 Karat Gold is like being caught in a time warp. Then is now, now is then, and the listener feels confronted by Stevie Nicks’ 1981 solo debut Bella Donna’s scandalous twin: the sister sent away for telling truths no one wanted known.

But time and truth have a way of not being denied. Ditto songs that yearn to be heard. And so Nicks, one of romance and gypsy mysticism’s great ciphers, returns to these songs of love left to die, romances unrealized and adventures that haunted her long after their end.

Written from 1967 through the mid-’00s, it is the chronicle of a wild heart that knew no caution and took the battering inherent to living amongst the outlaws. Advance press confirms these songs were inspired by Fleetwood Mac partners/former paramours Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood, Don Henley and good friend Tom Petty.

In the fraught wreckage of a life fully inhabited, if perhaps faithlessly shared, Nicks puts her angst outside her skin and stitches the songs up with Waddy Wachtel’s searing guitar lines, notably on the Petty homage “Hard Advice.” In many ways, Wachtel’s twisting sting and bass player Michael Rhodes’ melodic throb give these songs shape and offer presence.

But the real star is Nicks’ voice, every bit as throaty and suggestive as in her “Rhiannon”/”Edge of 17” heyday. Earthy and resonant, it teases on the gently undulating “Cathouse Blues,” sweeps wide-open across the luminous “Starshine” and haunts the lonesome piano-grounded “Lady.”

If “I Don’t Care” is an awkward lite-metal track that topples into pensive songwriter territory and “All The Beautiful Worlds” is a pretty-enough romp through a painfully self-conscious implosion, the ambitious “Mabel Normand” considers Nicks’ own storied addiction against the prism of an obscure ‘20s comedienne of that name.

And that is the challenge of this collection.

Nicks teams again with Dave Stewart, and the excesses are indulged to a lush extreme which doesn’t always serve her songs. While “Blue Water” feels like classic-if-generic SoCal ‘70s rock, with harmonies from country’s boy-girl-boy crossover Lady Antebellum, Mark Knopfler’s co-written “She Loves Him Still” is as gorgeous as any of Nicks’ signature ballads (“Landslide,” “Beautiful Child”), proving Nicks’ magic remains.

That’s the vexation and amazement of Gold’s frozen-in-amber reality. For as much as her acolytes wish they could twirl in chiffon scarves and platforms, few remain as ageless or beyond the clock as Nicks; in that gap ripples the nostalgia that stains these songs.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by deribish

http://www.pastemagazine.com/article...-vault-re.html

Stevie Nicks: 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault Review
By Holly Gleason
October 15, 2014

RATING: 7.1

Listening to 24 Karat Gold is like being caught in a time warp. Then is now, now is then, and the listener feels confronted by Stevie Nicks’ 1981 solo debut Bella Donna’s scandalous twin: the sister sent away for telling truths no one wanted known.

But time and truth have a way of not being denied. Ditto songs that yearn to be heard. And so Nicks, one of romance and gypsy mysticism’s great ciphers, returns to these songs of love left to die, romances unrealized and adventures that haunted her long after their end.

Written from 1967 through the mid-’00s, it is the chronicle of a wild heart that knew no caution and took the battering inherent to living amongst the outlaws. Advance press confirms these songs were inspired by Fleetwood Mac partners/former paramours Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood, Don Henley and good friend Tom Petty.

In the fraught wreckage of a life fully inhabited, if perhaps faithlessly shared, Nicks puts her angst outside her skin and stitches the songs up with Waddy Wachtel’s searing guitar lines, notably on the Petty homage “Hard Advice.” In many ways, Wachtel’s twisting sting and bass player Michael Rhodes’ melodic throb give these songs shape and offer presence.

But the real star is Nicks’ voice, every bit as throaty and suggestive as in her “Rhiannon”/”Edge of 17” heyday. Earthy and resonant, it teases on the gently undulating “Cathouse Blues,” sweeps wide-open across the luminous “Starshine” and haunts the lonesome piano-grounded “Lady.”

If “I Don’t Care” is an awkward lite-metal track that topples into pensive songwriter territory and “All The Beautiful Worlds” is a pretty-enough romp through a painfully self-conscious implosion, the ambitious “Mabel Normand” considers Nicks’ own storied addiction against the prism of an obscure ‘20s comedienne of that name.

And that is the challenge of this collection.

Nicks teams again with Dave Stewart, and the excesses are indulged to a lush extreme which doesn’t always serve her songs. While “Blue Water” feels like classic-if-generic SoCal ‘70s rock, with harmonies from country’s boy-girl-boy crossover Lady Antebellum, Mark Knopfler’s co-written “She Loves Him Still” is as gorgeous as any of Nicks’ signature ballads (“Landslide,” “Beautiful Child”), proving Nicks’ magic remains.

That’s the vexation and amazement of Gold’s frozen-in-amber reality. For as much as her acolytes wish they could twirl in chiffon scarves and platforms, few remain as ageless or beyond the clock as Nicks; in that gap ripples the nostalgia that stains these songs.

Paste is a great music magazine. I love this very articulate review, but wish the writer would have chosen a less dubious word than "stain," which can easily be misinterpreted as negative.

[michelej1]

Stevie Nicks: ’24 Karat Gold – Songs from the Vault’ Album Review

Oct 28, 2014 FDRMX

http://fdrmx.com/stevie-nicks-24-kar...-album-review/

24 Karat Gold – Songs From the Vault is Stevie Nicks’ latest album, and it is exactly what the title suggests. This album is a compilation of Nicks’ unreleased songs dating back as far as 1969, and includes a special edition book of her vintage “selfies,” that have been displayed in the Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York City. On October 7, 2014, she released her eighth solo studio album, and it’s a treasure chest of gems with the dust blown off of them.

When Nicks realized she had all of the songs it would take to make an album, but virtually no time before the start of her reunion tour with Fleetwood Mac, she turned to her long-time producer, Dave Stewart, for guidance. With a timeframe of merely eight weeks to record, mix, and master the album, Stewart suggested they record the project in Nashville, Tennessee. Nicks compared the Nashville recording process to “checking yourself into music rehab,” as Music City U.S.A. is known for their fast and efficient recording procedures.

Nicks, alongside her newly acquainted studio musicians, recorded seventeen tracks in three weeks. After a long history of recording with Fleetwood Mac, Nicks was used to many cooks in the kitchen. Suddenly, she found herself to be the only one. She noted the strangeness of having all of the musicians simply take her direction during the process of recording each song.

This album definitely encompasses the trials and tribulations of Nicks’ career. The second single that was released from the album, “Lady,” was a song she had recorded on a cassette tape, locked in a trunk that her mother had. Written in 1971, Nicks wrote the song with a purpose: to capture the fear that she and Lindsey Buckingham experienced when they first moved to L.A.

The track has a very simple melody, almost to the point of monotony. Nicks revealed in a commentary video that she wrote the song when she was first learning to play the piano that was a given to her as a gift by Fleetwood Mac’s producer at the time. The amateur playing abilities unfortunately, shine through. But how can you be mad at Stevie Nicks, whose uncanny vocals and simplistic lyrics are consistently fan favorites around the globe?

Nicks also covers a Vanessa Carlton hit from 2011, “Carousel,” with backing vocals from Vanessa herself, as well as Nicks’ niece, Jessi Nicks. Nicks has said in much commentary about the song that it was dedicated to her mother, as it became her favorite song during her final days. When going back and listening to the original version, it seems as though Vanessa covered Stevie Nicks, not the other way around. The song structure and expressive lyrics ring true to Nicks’ always-original sound, allowing the song to fit like a glove with her vocal abilities and delivery.

My personal favorite track on this album is, “She Loves Him Still.” The storyline of this song pairs beautifully with Nicks’ laid-back tone and back-to-basics motif for this album. The romance between Nicks and her Fleetwood bandmate Lindsey Buckingham has been one for the books, constantly leaving fans and the media with a never-ending stream of questions. Nicks revealed that most of the songs on this album are about Buckingham, and I think this song exemplifies that statement even further. The structure of “She Loves Him Still” seems to pull from Folk influences, and is backed by a very romantic flute orchestration, which is fitting for the subject matter. This arrangement definitely supports Nicks’ well known free spirit. The track dates back to the 1980’s, and was a demo that Nicks originally rehearsed for, Rock a Little, her third studio album.

24 Karat Gold – Songs From the Vault sold 33,000 copies within the first week of its release, and also gave Nicks her sixth Top Ten album on Billboard 200. This album is like a time capsule, housing songs that tell stories of moments in Nicks’ life that were hidden from even her closest friends and family. Each track is like a snapshot from that moment in which it was written. It takes the listener on a journey through Nicks’ life, and reveals sides of the artist that are refreshing at this point in her career. It is obvious that she has no plans on slowing down.

Music 3.5 stars

Voice 3.5

Lyrics 3.5

Originality 5

Delivery Presentation 3.5

Summary: 3.8

[twinmatrix]

After listening to the album for a while now here's my review! This is coming from a relatively new Stevie Nicks fan.

A+ Perfection
Mabel Normand - favorite song on the album, feel personally related to it.
24 Karat Gold - surprisingly, I really love the atmosphere of this song.
Lady - beautiful lyrics and melody.

Love
Starshine - fun, dancey
All the Beautiful Worlds - dark, dreamy, gorgeous lyrics
Carousel - not as good as Vanessa's version, but I love this song's message.
The Dealer - obviously a good song, haha, catchy and awesome.

Like
Twister - belongs to my childhood favorite movie, best version of the song though.
Belle Fleur - nice to sway to.
Hard Advice - pretty good, lovely melody.
Blue Water - relaxing.
Cathouse Blues - great fun and quirky addition to the album, but just an OK song.
She Loves Him Still - love Local Hero, good song.

Indifferent
If You Were My Love - the former half sounds weird to me.
I Don't Care - tiny bit annoying sometimes.
Watch Chain - don't really feel anything with this.

[Christopher]

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1.../p2p-81602694/

BY MIKAEL WOOD
October 6, 2014, 3:04 p.m.
Now that young bands such as Haim and One Direction are reviving the polished pop-rock of Fleetwood Mac, it seems only right that the group’s iconic frontwoman, Stevie Nicks, would look back as well.

As its title suggests, “24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault” offers new recordings of tunes Nicks wrote as long ago as 1969; the most recent is from 1995. You can tell the material is old too. In the aching “Hard Advice” she sings about listening to the radio and hanging out in a record store. (Remember those?)

But Nicks has always found fresh drama in the past -- think of “Rhiannon,” loosely inspired by an ancient Welsh legend -- and here she sounds no less energized chewing over bygone resentments in the throbbing title track and pondering bad decisions in “The Dealer,” which rides a silky groove reminiscent of the one in the Mac’s indelible “Dreams.”

For “Mabel Normand” she reaches back further, sympathizing with a real-life silent film star thought to have struggled with cocaine.

Recorded mostly in Nashville with Nicks’ longtime guitarist Waddy Wachtel and Dave Stewart (who also produced Nicks' excellent “In Your Dreams” from 2011), “24 Karat Gold” makes room amid the retrospection for some new sounds. “Cathouse Blues” touches unexpectedly on ragtime, while “Blue Water,” with backing vocals by Lady Antebellum, shimmers with traces of country and soul.

There’s also a couple of crunching hard-rock numbers, including “I Don’t Care,” that feel powered by the same aggression Fleetwood Mac channeled on its 2013 arena tour. (Now reunited with Christine McVie, the group launched yet another road show last week and will hit the Forum in November.)

Whatever the arrangement, though, Nicks’ voice -- that signature drone that’s gotten only more appealingly imperious with age -- defines the music here. Her singing dominates as easily now as it ever did.

-------------------

Stevie Nicks

“24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault”

(Warner Bros.)

3 ½ stars out of 4

[Christopher]

http://scan.lusu.co.uk/carolynne/cul...-stevie-nicks/

24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault is the latest studio album by Stevie Nicks, containing new versions of demos that were originall recorded between 1969 and 1995.


24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault is a collection of tracks spanning decades of Nicks’ life. With the majority of the tracks written throughout the seventies and eighties, this album’s slightly eclectic sound is to be expected. Considering the time of writing of the majority of these songs, it’s unsurprising that the overall sound is reminiscent to that of Rumours, despite the fact that the backing musicians do not quite compare to the sound of Fleetwood Mac (but, let’s face it, who could live up to that?).

Like most albums, not every track would be a roaring success if released as a single. Out of the fourteen tracks, here are a few that most stood out to me:

‘Starshine’: As one of the most upbeat tracks on the album, ‘Starshine’ wouldn’t sound out of place on Rumours as Nicks’ voice sounds almost the same as it did back then. This is a great choice for the album’s opening track – it is probably the catchiest song on the album, it’s been stuck in my head for days! If you’re going to listen to just one song from Songs From The Vault then I’d definitely recommend this one.

‘Blue Water’: ‘Blue Water’ provides a real contrast to ‘Starshine’. Featuring backing vocals from American country trio, Lady Antebellum, this track has much more of a relaxed feel to it. It’s songs like these that show Nicks’ versatility as a singer through the way she manipulates her voice to create such a tender and fragile tone.

‘I Don’t Care’: For me, this is everything that a song should be – it’s one that you can’t help but tap your foot to. ‘I Don’t Care’ is certainly the album’s rockiest track – Nicks sings with an attitude, which is complimented with the best guitar riff we hear on the album. As well as this, I’d consider this to be one of the best displays of her talent as a lyricist. This is a song you’ll want to listen to over and over again.

From blues to ballads to the rocky sound that Stevie Nicks is best known for, Songs From The Vault has it all. Although some tracks are a bit hit and miss (e.g. ‘Cathouse Blues’ and ‘Belle Fleur’), others are so good that I am surprised they were not released at the time of writing. Overall, I’d say that this album is a success, and if you’re a fan of Fleetwood Mac then you won’t be disappointed.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Considering the time of writing of the majority of these songs, it’s unsurprising that the overall sound is reminiscent to that of Rumours, despite the fact that the backing musicians do not quite compare to the sound of Fleetwood Mac (but, let’s face it, who could live up to that?).

I enjoy reading all the reviews, especially when certain songs are cited with polar-opposite opinions. Quality is in the ears of the beholder.

What really annoys me is when unnecessary comparisons are made that denigrates the work. For example the above quote "the backing musicians do not quite compare to the sound of Fleetwood Mac." Of course it's not going to sound like Fleetwood Mac! Why should it; the reason for that? It's not Fleetwood Mac! Shouldn't her album be judged by itself?

I understand there is tendency to assess new work in context of previous work. But there is a bit of unfair advantage at play when making those comparisons -- the assumption of a particular standard and expectation not being achieved. Anything outside of the comfort of the box is considered questionable.

[sorcerer999]

Originally Posted by Christopher

As its title suggests, “24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault” offers new recordings of tunes Nicks wrote as long ago as 1969; the most recent is from 1995. You can tell the material is old too. In the aching “Hard Advice” she sings about listening to the radio and hanging out in a record store. (Remember those?)

Um...

...yeah?...

...because they're both still around?...