Best vocal on each album

[Artemis]

Pretty self-explanatory thread. Which song on each solo album do you think is sang the best?

Bella Donna: Edge of Seventeen. Her voice is awesome on Edge, the growl, the power, there's a reason we all love Edge. The Highwayman was a close second for me though, I think she sounds simply stunning on that one.

Wild Heart: Sable on Blond. Something about her vocal on this song just captivates me, her vibrato is there (and is glorious) but it isn't as over-the-top as it is on Wild Heart and Beauty and The Beast. And those "This time"s just sound glorious.

Rock A Little: No Spoken Word, by a country mile. Her voice has such power and rage in this song, and it hardly ever turns into the coke induced fabulously warbley mess that is the Rock A Little era.

The Other Side Of The Mirror: Long Way To Go. I really love her voice on here, it sounds so passionate and she just sings the hell out of it. Doing The Best I Can is a close second though, I think she does some really clever vocals on that song. Though I don't know how much of that is due to the production.

Street Angel: I guess I'd have to say Blue Denim. She seems to be a little alive right at the end when she does some overdubs. Really, this album is the laziest album for Stevie's vocals in my opinion. Well... Solo anyway (Say You Will says hello).

Trouble In Shangri-La: Sorcerer. Those high notes! How gorgeous. It was such a shock, the first time I heard TISL after the mess that is SA, the Stevie from SA could never sing Sorcerer so beautifully.

In Your Dreams: For me, Ghosts are Gone. I think it really shows off her power and skill with her now very-diminished voice, it's such a rocking song and she pulls off a fantastic vocal. Moonlight is a pretty close second, I love her softer voice, and I always love it when she uses that falsetto!

24 Karat Gold: The title track. WHERE was she hiding that voice? All The Beautiful Worlds is pretty darned good too, she sings the crap outta it.

[SisterNightroad]

Bella donna: Edge of 17 (she couldn't even sang it that way live)
Wild heart: Stand back (the most daring vocal of the album, lots of vibrato)
Rock a little: I can't wait (she won't show such energy ever again)
The other side of the mirror: Whole lotta trouble (it shows her nice low range)
Street Angel: N/A (all too much nasal and stuffy voice for me, I never listen to it)
Trouble in Shangri-La: Sorcerer (amazing high notes)
In your dreams: Moonlight (very soothing)
24 karat gold: Mabel Normand (amazing vibrato and timbre)

[mitzo]

BD: I guess EO17. The overall acoustic quality of the album is very thin and harsh, to my ears.

WH: BATB, hands down. The closer saves the album.

RAL: A tie between I Can't Wait (roaring and urgent andcommitted)and HAEWAFY (soft and sad and emotional)

TOSOTM: A tie between Whole Lotta Trouble and Alice.

Street Angel: A tough one - I guess I have to say Listen to the Rain. I dislike the song but she tries to really rip into it.

TISL: Love Is is the best vocal. The subtle ways she interprets the song are beautiful.

IYD: A tie between Everybody Loves You and Italian Summer. Flexible and strong, on one hand, forceful and soaring on the other.

24KG: Mabel Normand. Wow. Just Wow.

[DauphineMarie]

Bella Donna - Edge of Seventeen
Wild Heart - Sable on Blond (well this time I think it was you babe) chills
Rock a Little - Best vocal: I Can't Wait. Favourite vocal: Rock a Little
Other Side of the Mirror - Doing the Best That I Can
Street Angel - Lazy vocals, but I have to say Maybe Love (Outtake)
Trouble in Shangri-La - TISL BY FAR
In Your Dreams - Moonlight
24 Karat Gold - All the Beautiful Worlds, but Mabel Normand as a close second

[tabruns]

Bella Donna: Edge of Seventeen
The Wild Heart: Beauty and the Beast
Rock A Little: Talk To Me
The Other Side of The Mirror: Rooms On Fire
Street Angel: Blue Denim
Trouble In Shangri-La: Sorcerer
In Your Dreams: Moonlight
24 Karat Gold: 24 Karat Gold

I agree with others that the high notes on "Sorcerer" were a very pleasant surprise, and she shows real subtlety in her singing on "Moonlight."

[louielouie2000]

Bella Donna: Kind Of Woman. I love her tone at the beginning of the song especially. Just gorgeous. She also flexes some vocal muscle throughout the song as it progresses.
Wild Heart: Sable On Blond. Another example of the beautiful tone Stevie's voice contains when she chooses to use it.
Rock A Little: The title track. It's just such a departure for her. So drugged out and hazy, yet understated and vulnerable. It's one of the cooler vocals from her entire career, IMO.
Other Side Of The Mirror: Cry Wolf. Again, for me, it's all about the tone. This is when Stevie started utilizing the lower register of her voice, too- and it's very juicy sounding.
Street Angel: Blue Denim. It's a solid, classic rock and roll vocal. Great tone- unlike much of the album, Stevie's vocal isn't lackluster and is impassioned here.
Trouble In Shangri La: Love Is. I love that Stevie is using the higher end of her modern range here. Very pretty, emotive vocals.
In Your Dreams: New Orleans. That beautiful little vocal intro sung so softly is enough by itself to win my pick of the album. The rest of the song contains very pretty vocals, too.
24 Karat Gold: The title track. Like Artemis said- where had Stevie been hiding that voice? So many strong vocals across the entire album- collectively the best vocals she's exhibited since the '80s.

[sorcerer999]

Awesome thread, Artemis!!!

Bella Donna - "Think About It"
Step into the velvet of this vocal! PERFECTION! It must have been a good day in the studio, vocally...because "Sleeping Angel" was recorded the very same day, and had this cut made it on to the album, I would have picked it instead.

Wild Heart - "Nightbird"
This one is so silky smooth (to borrow a term from Patti LaBelle). Hard for me to pick just one off of this one because I also think she does a fab job on "G&G" and "Sable".

Rock A Little - "Rock A Little" (Go Ahead Lily) 12" version
There are three different kinds of Stevie "vocals" on this record ~ the "swelling tear-ish" rasp on "Talk To Me" and "I Sing For The Things", the spastic schizophrenia that coats most of "The Nightmare", "I Can't Wait" and "Imperial Hotel", and the happy medium that harkens back to the Wild Heart album, such as "If I Were You", "HAEWAFY" and the title track, which I picked because there are so many nuanced inflections throughout. The 12" version includes so many great examples of this toward the end. The "...hit the stage...DANCIN' I KNOW, LILY" being one of them.

The Other Side Of The Mirror - "Ooh My Love"
It's this song where I feel she finally found her comfort zone for her current register. It's not too high or too low, but somehow perfectly encapsulates a range of emotion. When she refers to this record as her "magic album", this is the song I immediately think of, because that's exactly what it is.

Street Angel - "Greta"
The only song on the record (for me) that shows any kind of frisky, fun and sassy attitude. "Blue Denim" and "JLAW" have a couple of moments but the rest of this album is a downer.

Trouble In Shangri-La - "Sorcerer"
For all the reasons Artemis listed. I had always hoped, because of this song, that Stevie would experiment with her falsetto in future projects because it's sooooo beautiful. Plus that 3 part harmony (Stevie - Sheryl - low Stevie) on the chorus is the BEST BLENDED harmony I've ever heard on a solo Stevie Nicks album.

In Your Dreams - TIE between "Everybody Loves You" & "Moonlight"
The golden honey vocal of "no voice of a stranger could play that part...he broke her heart...broke her heart" and the quiet, high "goosebump inducing" simile of "she moves from situation to situation like a ghost" are two moments that I refuse to choose between.

24 Karat Gold - "All the Beautiful Worlds"
I never thought she could hit such higher pitched vocals like this again, in this way. She basically recreates the Wild Heart outtake and makes it better, which I never expected. Like my favorite songs from RAL, this one also has many nuanced "moments", like the second time she sings "well I know where you go...to the edge of the night baby" and that wonderful ending. :D This one was also hard to choose, because "IYWML" and "24 Karat Gold" are freakin' amazing, vocally, as well!

[GypsySorcerer]

Bella Donna -- the title track. Kind of Woman is second.
Wild Heart -- Sable on Blond. (just how deep do you hold that dream in your hands each night?!)
Rock A Little -- the title track.
OSOTM -- Ooh My Love.
Street Angel -- Blue Denim.
TISL -- It's Only Love.
IYD -- Moonlight & New Orleans.
24K Gold -- All The Beautiful Worlds. "I know where you go!!!"

[StevieNicksfann]

Bella Donna - Edge of 17 for reasons already mentioned

Wild Heart - tie between Stand Back and Sable On Blonde

Rock A Little - No Spoken Word - strong vocal without coke induced mess although I love vocals like Sister Honey which has a rock verse and soaring chorus tone to it

OSOTM - Long Way To Go by far.

Street Angel - Let me start out by saying that I think Blue Denim has one of the most monotone and blase vocals ever on a solo record. I simply don't understand at all how people pick this one. I do agree that none of the vocals on the album are stellar but I concur that Listen To The Rain has the best attempt at dynamics.

TISL - tie between TISL and Sorcerer

IYD - tie between New Orleans and Moonlight

24K - tie between 24K Gold and Lady

[Frankenstein]

Bella Donna - Edge of Seventeen/Kind of Woman
The Wild Heart - Title track/Sable on Blond
Rock A Little - Title track/I Sing For The Things... I know a lot of people hate her voice on that song but I love it.
Other Side of the Mirror - Long Way To Go
Street Angel - Oh boy... Blue Denim is the least offensive
Trouble in Shangri-La - Sorcerer if only for those high notes alone
In Your Dreams - Moonlight
24 Karat Gold - All the Beautiful Worlds

[Machu]

Bella Donna: Edge of Seventeen. Intense vocals.
Wild Heart: Either the title track or Nightbird. I love the soft, sweetness of the latter.
Rock a Little: This is surely a weird choice but my favorite vocal is "Sister Honey". It's just such a powerful vocal performance, imo.
The Other Side of the Mirror: Long way to go.
Street Angel: Blue Denim. The end of that song is heaven.
Trouble in Shangri-La: My first inclination was Planets of the Universe (she was nominated for best female vocal for the song after all) but Sorcerer, Fall From Grace, and Trouble in Shangri-La all have amazing vocal moments.
In Your Dreams: Italian Summer. That final note...If it were my choice I would have ended this album with this song based on that final note alone.
24 Karat Gold: All the Beautiful Worlds. When I first heard this song it was the one that made me smile most thinking WOW that was great, especially At the end.

[On Ice]

Great Thread Artemis!

Bella Donna: Edge of Seventeen is one of Stevie's all time best and to me the best of her solo career. (although I've found the live versions sounding a little short of the original just because of the lowering of the white winged dove) It is a flawless song in every way.

Wild Heart: Gate and Garden gets my vote, it's just oozing sexiness and vulnerability at the same time. Although not the best lyrics, she pulls it off with that one of a kind voice.

Rock a Little: I agree with No Spoken Word as being the highlight of the album. It's a great song amongst a very uneven collection from Stevie/

Other Side of the Mirror: Rooms on Fire sets the bar high out of the gate. It's very well sung and a great song.

Street Angel: I like this album although she does lose steam part way through. Love is Like a River gets my vote, you can tell she's trying very hard to get that Edge vibe, doesn't quite get there but delivers a nice performance nonetheless.

Trouble in Shangri La: Sorcerer, always one of my favourites, hence my name here. Love the way she kept true to the high notes. One of her funkier earlier tunes that I believe had potential on that first Mac Album as a 3rd lead by Stevie and would've been nice on side two.

In your Dreams: New Orleans for the nice dress up and brush by notes. If these had come out early in the song and it had a tighter chorus, I think had hit potential.

24 K: Pretty consistently good vocals throughout. Best sung is All the Beautiful Worlds, it has tone, texture, melody and is also a well written song.

Many highlights in her solo career, despite its low points not a bad legacy.

[sorcerer999]

The Other Side Of The Mirror: Long Way To Go. I really love her voice on here, it sounds so passionate and she just sings the hell out of it. Doing The Best I Can is a close second though, I think she does some really clever vocals on that song. Though I don't know how much of that is due to the production.

24 Karat Gold: The title track. WHERE was she hiding that voice? All The Beautiful Worlds is pretty darned good too, she sings the crap outta it.

Rock a little: I can't wait (she won't show such energy ever again)


RAL: A tie between I Can't Wait (roaring and urgent andcommitted)and HAEWAFY (soft and sad and emotional).

Wild Heart: Sable On Blond. Another example of the beautiful tone Stevie's voice contains when she chooses to use it.
Rock A Little: The title track. It's just such a departure for her. So drugged out and hazy, yet understated and vulnerable. It's one of the cooler vocals from her entire career, IMO.

Rock A Little - Title track/I Sing For The Things... I know a lot of people hate her voice on that song but I love it.


Rock a Little: This is surely a weird choice but my favorite vocal is "Sister Honey". It's just such a powerful vocal performance, imo.
24 Karat Gold: All the Beautiful Worlds. When I first heard this song it was the one that made me smile most thinking WOW that was great, especially At the end.

Wild Heart: Gate and Garden gets my vote, it's just oozing sexiness and vulnerability at the same time. Although not the best lyrics, she pulls it off with that one of a kind voice.

Many highlights in her solo career, despite its low points not a bad legacy.

I LOVE all these responses and agree wholeheartedly with them!

I love this forum! I love how we all have so many different favorites! You know what they say about "variety"!!! :nod::D

[Macfan4life]

Pretty self-explanatory thread. Which song on each solo album do you think is sang the best?

Bella Donna: Edge of Seventeen. Her voice is awesome on Edge, the growl, the power, there's a reason we all love Edge. The Highwayman was a close second for me though, I think she sounds simply stunning on that one.

Wild Heart: Sable on Blond. Something about her vocal on this song just captivates me, her vibrato is there (and is glorious) but it isn't as over-the-top as it is on Wild Heart and Beauty and The Beast. And those "This time"s just sound glorious.

Rock A Little: No Spoken Word, by a country mile. Her voice has such power and rage in this song, and it hardly ever turns into the coke induced fabulously warbley mess that is the Rock A Little era.

The Other Side Of The Mirror: Long Way To Go. I really love her voice on here, it sounds so passionate and she just sings the hell out of it. Doing The Best I Can is a close second though, I think she does some really clever vocals on that song. Though I don't know how much of that is due to the production.

Street Angel: I guess I'd have to say Blue Denim. She seems to be a little alive right at the end when she does some overdubs. Really, this album is the laziest album for Stevie's vocals in my opinion. Well... Solo anyway (Say You Will says hello).

Trouble In Shangri-La: Sorcerer. Those high notes! How gorgeous. It was such a shock, the first time I heard TISL after the mess that is SA, the Stevie from SA could never sing Sorcerer so beautifully.

In Your Dreams: For me, Ghosts are Gone. I think it really shows off her power and skill with her now very-diminished voice, it's such a rocking song and she pulls off a fantastic vocal. Moonlight is a pretty close second, I love her softer voice, and I always love it when she uses that falsetto!

24 Karat Gold: The title track. WHERE was she hiding that voice? All The Beautiful Worlds is pretty darned good too, she sings the crap outta it.
WOW
I agree with you on just about everything.
The Sable on Blonde vocal is amazing. I love when she yells at the end "in your hands each NIGHT"

Stevie's voice was best 1981-1983 IMHO. Her voice and performance started to suffer from the drugs during the Wild Heart Tour. It did not help that Joe Walsh was touring with her. This is when the drug use sky rocketed. I heard Joe Walsh say that if they had not broken up after the tour they would have died of a drug overdose. Her voice is fried on many tracks on Rock A Little. But it rebounds again for TOSOTM.
All the Beautiful Worlds from 1982 or 1983 is the perfect song vocally and lyrically. I wish the track made it to Wild Heart.

[Turn It On]

Bella Donna: Edge of Seventeen
The Wild Heart: Title track, closely followed by Beauty and the Beast
Rock a Little: I Can't Wait
Other Side of the Mirror: Doing the Best That I Can
Street Angel: Listen to the Rain, although the overdubs on some other songs come close.
Trouble in Shangri-La: Sorcerer
In Your Dreams: Moonlight
24 Karat Gold: Mabel Normand, although Lady gets an honourable mention

[KarmaContestant]

Bella Donna: How Still My Love - it has all of the best characteristics of Stevie's voice in it.
The Wild Heart: Sable On Blonde. Again, lots of range, like How Still My Love.
Rock a Little: I Can't Wait. She sings it like she really meant it. Joe Walsh was, if anything, a huge inspiration to Stevie.
Other Side of the Mirror: Ghosts. Most of the OSOTM vocals are pretty monotone. Ghosts stands out a little bit.
Street Angel: Greta, because it's so energetic, and she sings it like it's her favorite.
Trouble in Shangri-La: Love Is. Much of TISL is monotone.
In Your Dreams: Moonlight. It's all about the range for me. I like songs where the vocals go up and down, narrow and wide.
24 Karat Gold: Mabel Normand. I wish for an entire album of Mabel Normands.

[brad975]

This is an interesting exercise, because Stevie's voice seemed to change considerably from album to album.

By 1981 (BellaDonna), she seemed to be adjusting to a deeper voice damaged by years of drugs and touring. To compensate, she seems to be making a concerted effort to force her voice down into a powerful, rock-n-roll place. But I question how healthy her technique was. She's consistently good on this album, but I'll pick a personal favorite ("Kind of Woman"). Note "Sleeping Angel" would have taken honors had it gotten its rightful place on the album.

By 1983 (Wild Heart), she was entering her heavy, rumbling vibrato period, when otherwise fine performances could enter some goat-like territory (the word "fearlessness" on the title track springs to mind). I love this album start to finish, though it's bittersweet in that this was the last album of Stevie's artistic prime, in my opinion. Best vocal: "If Anyone Falls."

By 1985 (Rock a Little), time-space had really taken its toll on our gal. She was snorting coke and smoking Kools in earnest, and it sure sounds like it. Best vocal (tie): "Imperial Hotel" and "No Spoken Word."

By 1989 (OSOTM, Stevie was entering a Klonopin haze where she was hitting lots of flat notes that spoiled otherwise okay songs. Best vocal: "Juliet," even though those "blues" at the end give me the blues. I also just like that song.

By 1994 (Street Angel), I wasn't even interested in buying this record. It would be seven years before I finally acquired it in a used bin. I'll have to go with "Blue Denim" (because it's a nifty rocker and she sounds half-awake), though I must admit I've never made it all the way to "Jane."

By 2001 (TISL), work with the vocal coach seemed to have helped, but she was also too nasally on too many numbers. She's said she's feared fixing the hole in her septum would hurt her voice, but what if it helped? Best vocal: "Planets of the Universe" (extended preferred).

By 2011 (In Your Dreams), our expectations of Stevie had to adjust given her age and history. I like most of these songs, and even though she sounds a little off here and there, I'm going to say she sounds most committed on "Annabel Lee" and pretty on "Moonlight" (a tie).

By 2014 (24K Gold), she's still rocking along, admirably maintaining what's left of her range without pushing it into dangerous territory too often. Best vocal: "Belle Fleur" because she sounds great without sounding strained (and sounds like she's into it).

Of the Mac albums:
Fleetwood Mac (75): Rhiannon and Landslide (tie). Not much competition when the group only gives you two leads.

Rumours (77): Dreams

Tusk (79): Sara

Live (80): Fireflies

Mirage (82): Gypsy

Tango in the Night (87): her background bit on "Little Lies"

Behind the Mask (90): her harmony on "Skies the Limit" (I'm stretching)

The Dance (97): Landslide

Say You Will (03): Thrown Down

[BLY]

BD- Kind of Woman
WH-I Will Run to You
RAL- If I Were You
OSOTM- Two Kinds of Love
SA- Greta
TISL-TISL
IYD- For What Its Worth
14 KG- Mabel Normand

[secondhandchain]

Pretty self-explanatory thread. Which song on each solo album do you think is sang the best?

Bella Donna: Edge of Seventeen. Her voice is awesome on Edge, the growl, the power, there's a reason we all love Edge. The Highwayman was a close second for me though, I think she sounds simply stunning on that one.

Wild Heart: Sable on Blond. Something about her vocal on this song just captivates me, her vibrato is there (and is glorious) but it isn't as over-the-top as it is on Wild Heart and Beauty and The Beast. And those "This time"s just sound glorious.

Rock A Little: No Spoken Word, by a country mile. Her voice has such power and rage in this song, and it hardly ever turns into the coke induced fabulously warbley mess that is the Rock A Little era.

The Other Side Of The Mirror: Long Way To Go. I really love her voice on here, it sounds so passionate and she just sings the hell out of it. Doing The Best I Can is a close second though, I think she does some really clever vocals on that song. Though I don't know how much of that is due to the production.

Street Angel: I guess I'd have to say Blue Denim. She seems to be a little alive right at the end when she does some overdubs. Really, this album is the laziest album for Stevie's vocals in my opinion. Well... Solo anyway (Say You Will says hello).

Trouble In Shangri-La: Sorcerer. Those high notes! How gorgeous. It was such a shock, the first time I heard TISL after the mess that is SA, the Stevie from SA could never sing Sorcerer so beautifully.

In Your Dreams: For me, Ghosts are Gone. I think it really shows off her power and skill with her now very-diminished voice, it's such a rocking song and she pulls off a fantastic vocal. Moonlight is a pretty close second, I love her softer voice, and I always love it when she uses that falsetto!

24 Karat Gold: The title track. WHERE was she hiding that voice? All The Beautiful Worlds is pretty darned good too, she sings the crap outta it.

I got news for you when sorcerer was around, SO was pro tools.

[sorcerer999]

I got news for you when sorcerer was around, SO was pro tools.

...and I've got news for you. The vocal on "Sorcerer" has not been tampered by pro tools. If you can find a copy of the rough, unedited, unmixed and unmastered version of this song, you will hear that the vocal is the exact same.

I really don't think Stevie is a "pro tools" artist, clearly evidenced by the raw (and yes, sometimes flat or sharp) vocals on a lot of songs from "24KG". "Lady" is a great example of this...but it's saved by the fact that the emotion outweighs the vocal mistakes. And I'll take emotion over a "perfect" vocal any day.

The two times I've ever heard a Stevie vocal with blatant pro tools was A.) the TISL version of "Thrown Down", and I have a feeling that she didn't like it at all, hence the reason she scrapped it and redid it for SYW...and B.) her "fixed" vocals for certain songs on "The Dance"...and THANK GOD "Gold Dust Woman" wasn't one of those. :nod: