Here's what I think is going on.
Mind you, I'm not saying I AGREE with what's in Stevie's head, but this is what I think SHE'S thinking. JMHO.
For years, she shrieked at the mike, tore her voice apart, and the critics panned her for not singing right, and for how her voice would give out without warning, and how the long-term strain had ruined her voice.
These days, the critics praise her voice.
For years, Stevie spun and kicked and spread her arms under the shawls like they were wings. Critics called the young Stevie silly, and as she got older, they asked when she would grow up and realize she wasn't the doe-eyed ingenue anymore. They labeled her ridiculous, a caricature of the limited artist that she once was, in their opinions.
These days, Stevie mainly stands still, and the critics focus on her songwriting and vocals, which seems to be how she wants it.
For years, the critics labeled much of Stevie's best work as too airy-fairy. They PRAISED Sometimes it's a Bitch & Love's a Hard Game to Play as steps in the right direction, towards "harder-hitting" pop/rock.
(I cringe just at the thinking.)
The lower-brow stuff, the stuff she doesn't write --- Talk to Me, Every Day --- these are the kinds of songs Stevie has been encouraged to release as singles & to perform.
For years Stevie thrilled fans with costume changes, & the critics said she spent more time offstage than on during a show.
For years Stevie abused her body, & now she is committed to being the last one alive oin the rocking chair on the front porch. After drugs, saline leaks, failed eyes and pregnancies, heartbreaks and slipping sales totals, she feels the need to ease up. This is a compromise she made with herself, I think. A little over ten years ago she was saying she'd be out of the music business within five years. Here she is, still, but giving only what she believes she can afford to.
Importantly, I think that while Stevie has never sold out her fans or her artistry, she is a woman who has longed for approval for years and years. She is now getting critical acclaim, sales are back up, her voice is dependable, her looks are still celebrated, young rockers applaud her, etc., and she does not want to mess with what seems to be working. She's older, she's wiser, and she's probably afraid of risking the life she's carefully gathering around herself.
Less risk, more respect.
That's not a payoff to those of us here who have loved her over the years, who have loved her more creative endeavors, so it's frustrating for us.
Still, just the sound of her voice is a kind of payoff for me still.
As I wrote at the start, this is all my opinion. I'm sure there will be plenty who disagree, and maybe time will show I'm wrong. We'll hve to hang in to see.
- Jake