Was anyone else a tad dissapointed with the new album?

[Cristian]

Originally Posted by David

I think of the three pop-era vocalists in Fleetwood, Christine is the only one who can still sing.

As polemic as this statement can be, I 100% agree with it. Lindsey's voice is damaged without a possible solution, and Stevie's vocals were good until Trouble In Shangri-La, in my opinion. Her only standout lead vocal in Say You Will was "Smile At You"... and in the tour, whilst she's sung with a lot of passion as always, well... her range leaves a lot to be desired (don't hit me I still love her!)

Christine, on the other hand, still mantains much of her charming vocal style.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by David

You're right -- this is some of the best studio singing she's ever done. Her voice is as rich & personal as it ever was, & she's trying some things she's never done before, either.

I think of the three pop-era vocalists in Fleetwood, Christine is the only one who can still sing.

I agree 100%. I was listening to the AOL live sessions of Peacekeeper and I was sort of disappointed in the LB/Stevie live sound. It's better in studio.

[diamondsnake]

Well I agree that Lindsey's voice is not that great these days, especially on the live Bootlegs I've heard from the tour (I'm so excited when I am actually there that I generally don't notice), but Stevie's voice is just so unique and cool! Her voice is strange, of course, and not for everyone... but I just think her voice rocks! It sends chills up my spine in songs like illume and makes me feel warm and fuzzy in songs like I Miss You or Everyday and shocks me in songs like Trouble in Shangri La, Smile at You, and Everybody Finds Out. I just am adicted to her raspy vocals I guess.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Cristian

As polemic as this statement can be, I 100% agree with it. Lindsey's voice is damaged without a possible solution, and Stevie's vocals were good until Trouble In Shangri-La, in my opinion. Her only standout lead vocal in Say You Will was "Smile At You"... and in the tour, whilst she's sung with a lot of passion as always, well... her range leaves a lot to be desired (don't hit me I still love her!)

Christine, on the other hand, still mantains much of her charming vocal style.

I think they all can sing, but some just choose not to put all their effort into sounding fantastic because they're afraid of something. I have to say that, for me, Stevie lost something in her voice right around TISL. Listening to AHI 2000 and then listening to even her Blockbuster Awards performance, there is a VERY stark difference in voice; something happened and I just can't put my finger on it. It got much more lower and rawer. She does sound ten times better than on the TISL tour, though, and Beautiful Child is a knock-out. But she doesn't seem to want to do much of anything with her voice, she just wants to drone on and stay as safe as possible and I think it makes her performances a tad boring at times. Johnny has said that she's probably just more concerned with sounding pitch-perfect more than ever before, but I think that's why she doesn't sound as good; because she's concentrating so much that it muddles her performance.

They all have some cringeworthy live vocals on bootlegs, every one of them. Lindsey just doesn't seem to give a **** about sounding pitch-perfect, he's just there to rock. While we can argue over how he or Stevie sound terrible on a certain bootleg, there certainly aren't many complaints about either one when people are actually seeing them live.

And when I doubt their vocal talents these days, I just pop in Love Minus Zero and Everybody Finds Out, or a bootleg to hear Say Goodbye (where Lindsey and Stevie sound equally amazing).

[jbrownsjr]

Well if Johnny said it, then it must be true!

[cliffdweller]

Originally Posted by CFR

Not everything is going to please everybody. But a true artist works for themselves, not you or me. If we like what an artist does then that's icing on the cake for the artist. I'm glad Christine didn't sell out or cater to please certain people.

I see your point, however, Christine is a pop artist and pop artists, while creating art for themselves as you put it, also must care if people like what they put out, otherwise why do it? It's not like she's some kind of experimental avante garde artists or something. If noone buys her album then it seems like a waste of her time. It also seems insulting to Chris as an artist who is of the popular genre, and who creates music both for personal satisfaction and reflection, but also, and sometimes more importantly,with the intention of the artistic artifact having mass appeal.

[Vianna]

I like it, but it's not her music on Tusk...but then, nothing any of them produces any more is. Tusk must have been a moment

I love Friend, You Are, Forgiveness, Northern Star. The rest I can take or leave.

Listen to Wish You Were Here on Mirage. In the Meantime almost sounds like a continuation...

I like her music better now that Eddy Quintela isn't helping her with it anymore.

I'd love to hear her in Chicken Shack-I never have heard that.

Whatever, I love this lady

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by dissention

But she doesn't seem to want to do much of anything with her voice, she just wants to drone on and stay as safe as possible and I think it makes her performances a tad boring at times. Johnny has said that she's probably just more concerned with sounding pitch-perfect more than ever before, but I think that's why she doesn't sound as good; because she's concentrating so much that it muddles her performance.

I really do think that's what it comes down to. She's afraid that, if she takes a chance at hitting a note she hasn't rehearsed or sung a million times, then she might not hit it... so she just doesn't try. Preferring to stay in her "comfort range."

I've often felt that her working with a voice coach on the 'Dance' tour was the "beginning of the end," as far as Stevie's days of vocal risk-taking.

I find myself between a rock and a hard place though, because I still love how she's singing these days. I think she sounds fantastic... different, but fantastic. I also think she's singing certain songs better than she EVER could have sung them live before (case in point: "Beautiful Child" and "Goodbye Baby").

But, at the same time, I find myself longing for the days when she'd cut loose on every line of every song, and would let the chips fall wherever they may.

It caused some cringe-worthy moments over the years, but it also provided MANY exhilarating, "how the hell does she DO that" moments.

And I don't really mean to steer a thread about Christine, on her own forum no less, towards Stevie again, so I'd like to add that I wholeheartedly agree that Christine has always been the better singer in Fleetwood Mac, technically speaking.
Of every singer who's passed through their ranks, she still stands out as the best all-around vocalist.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Well if Johnny said it, then it must be true!

You know it, bub!

[blinker12]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I've often felt that her working with a voice coach on the 'Dance' tour was the "beginning of the end," as far as Stevie's days of vocal risk-taking.

In some cases, though, I think the training actually emboldened her. Take "Silver Springs"; I don't think she would have dared try to hit the high notes in the verse a few years before "The Dance."
In my opinion, her worst singing days were 1989-1993, when she not only didn't take risks, but didn't even sound good playing it safe. She couldn't sing a note in tune to save her life on the BTM and Timespace tours.
Sorry to further the Stevie digression.

[David]

Originally Posted by blinker12

In my opinion, her worst singing days were 1989-1993, when she not only didn't take risks, but didn't even sound good playing it safe. She couldn't sing a note in tune to save her life on the BTM and Timespace tours.

Interesting comments from several of you.
To me, Stevie's problems as a singer are beyond her control, & started back on the 1987 tour. It's just not her fault, obviously, but she's got a 55-year-old voice, still pleasantly gin-soaked but so deep that's it's like a basso profundo, & it's lost its pliancy. Stevie has the Mary Travers Syndrome. Poor Stevie's voice box is like an echo chamber filled with phlegm. I know people find it romantic to attribute any perceived decline in her singing to this drug or that drug or smoking or whatever, but I think it's essentially just aging that's responsible.

I'm not sure what her vocal coach has been doing with her -- maybe concentrating on saving what remains rather than creating more pliancy & extending the range. Where are her arpeggiated figures & her somersaulting (so prevalent on the Wild Heart Tour)? Age has destroyed them. And so it must to many of our voices.

[GateandGarden]

I just got the CD, and I dislike some of the songs I thought I would love when I really got to listen to them, such as "Friend" and "Northern Star." The lyrics just don't seem to work for me. But, for whatever reason, I'm really fond of "Anything is Possible" and "Sweet Revenge." I like "You Are," but it kind of got old fast for me. I really can't take "Bad Journey." Someone already mentioned this, but I wish that the songs sounded more like her Tusk songs, but I know that's not going to happen. Some of the songs remind me a little bit of "Only Over You" and "Wish You Were Here," except I LOVED those after one listen, and much of this album doesn't seem all that great to me after one listen. Of course, I've been told that I need to give it time, so I'll have to see what transpires.

Hillary

[MacMan]

Just picked up the cd today... and I have to say, I'm getting into it. Of course the first couple of tunes I've been hearing now abit so I'm grooving on those and really like Friend the more I hear it and believe that it's the strongest song on the cd... But Anything is possible is pretty great and I like So Sincere as well. And I know I'll like Norther Star after a few more listens to it. But overall, it's not to bad. It's relaxing... easy listening... Something I'd throw on first thing in the morning or on a Sunday morning.. Something nice and not too jaring.

I'd give it a 3 out of 5 at first listen.

[ShangriLaTroubl]

I personally enjoy the CD a lot...BAD Journey is my fav...very catchy

I agree, some of the songs dont do anything for me, like "calumny," "anything is possible," "sincere", "liar. " But "friend" "you are" and "bad journey" really have me going...and the very last one, cant remember the name


"so i pick myself up/cos i put myself down"


Chris

[MacMan]

Yeah the last track is a nice way to end the album...