Quote:
Originally Posted by On Ice
Stevie fandom evolved into pretty much to each his/her own. Heck, even back in the "classic" days she faced some pretty harsh criticism. Many critics did not "get" those early Rhiannon exorcisms, so now we as the established fan-base likewise will see things through our own lens.
Street Angel for example is seen as Stevie's dud whereas I see the album as good in some spots but suffering from lack of inspiration but by no means an embarrassment. She turned in some amazing vocals in that period and with the right producer, could've been really on fire. I'm puzzled as to what happened between Desiree and the '92 Mirror/Mirror and would've expected the same fiery performances throughout the album, but instead, very spotty, but not a complete disaster.
Again, to each their own opinion, none of us are completely right or completely wrong either.  |
I have never really understood why Street Angel was so universally panned by music critics and fans alike. I know that Stevie had to rely on other people to help her write enough songs. Still, Docklands is a gorgeous song, even though Stevie didn't write it! It was just made for her...a very sexy song.
Blue Denim...another great song.
The title track is not bad at all either. I particularly enjoyed listening to Stevie explain on radio how she wrote this song about how she will never know what it's like to live on the streets. She wanted to put herself in the shoes of a homeless girl, walk around in them for a while and see what it felt like. Just goes to show what an empathetic and caring a person she is that she can write a story like Street Angel.
Let's talk vocal quality. On Street Angel, it is, let's be frank, way better than the vocals on any solo album she has released since! When she recorded the vocals for Street Angel, Stevie was most definitely at that point just before her singing ability plateaued. Stevie's vocals on The Dance are roughly equal in quality to those on the Street Angel album.
Since 2001 she has only fleetingly delivered the powerhouse vocals that first made her famous. She seems too afraid of ever attempting to sing Dreams live in its original key, which is a shame.