Stevie's Voice

[strandinthewind]

In

Time Out New York - Interview
April 26 - May 3 issue (issue #292)
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Sobriety test

After kicking pills and overcoming writer's block, Stevie Nicks comes clean on her new album

By Gia Kourlas

Stevie says the following:

TONY: What was blocking you?

Stevie: Well, I know what was blocking me. First of all, in the beginning of 1994, I went into rehab to stop taking Klonopin, which I'd been taking for almost eight years. Street Angel was done in the last two years of the Klonopin, when it had really kicked in to the point that it took away my soul and creativity. The record was finished in November; I went into rehab on the 12th of December and got out on the 27th of January. So I listened to the record--I'm off all the drugs--and I knew it was terrible. It had cost a fortune. I tried really hard to fix it, but I couldn't. So I had to go and do interviews for it, just like I'm doing right now, and it was everything I could do not to say to the interviewers, "I hate this record." When I had dinner with Tom, I was having a hard time getting over the Street Angel experience. I was just really sad. That dinner made all the difference. I give Tom all the credit in the world for this record.

So, apparenly, she kicked Klonopin and then had to tour with a record she did not care for that much. Ouch!!!!

Tha article is posted on the Nicksfix (thanks to John Kinney)

[darklinensuit]

Thanks for the research.

- Jake

[Miranda]

Stevie had a very nasally sound when she was younger. Youth and coke clogged sinuses probably added to that affect. She got a lower, more mature tone after the nasal sound went away but the high notes seemed to go away at that time too. I still like the mature sound better. In the early days, I liked Chris as a singer better than Stevie. I compare it to smooth velvet for Chris vs. clothes pin on the nose for Stevie. Once Stevie took off that clothes pin she had me all the way.

[ERigby818]

I think her voice chaged the most for Tusk and Rock A Little.
The first change is when I think she started to sound stuffed up, and I think it had to do with her cocaine use skyrocketing at the time.
The second change probably had to do with the subsequent hole, and her singing shifting to her throat, rather than head-voice, for higher notes. That's when her songwriting became more melodically limited, and big bursts of high notes (like Rhiannon) became more rare in her new songs in the late 80s on because they became much harder to do.
Overall, I don't like what's happened to her voice in the last 15 years and I wish it stopped changing right around RAL and stayed exactly like that forever. That way she'd still sound mature and raspy but still be able to belt out the high notes live without sounding like she's really straining. I hate that strained sound. Makes me cringe.
-Sonia

[bookie29]

I think her voice changed the most between Tusk & Bella Donna. If you listen to Beautiful Child, that is the last time she has really produced a vocal like that on a record.

I liked her voice the most on Tusk because of the variety she had. The "sweet" voice on BC & Sara, & the rough/belting voice on Angel & SOTM.

The best vocals that I have heard from her in a long time have come on SYW. She sounded like 70's Stevie on the snippets on FM.COM. Especially on the end of Thrown Down(acapella) & on SYHA.

Really for me, after the Tango album, until the Dance tour, I feel is the least favorite vocally for me. She got really nasal and the range just wasn't there. This is really a comment in hindsight because at the time I was so excited to get new Stevie music & I really loved those albums & tours.

Sean

[Villavic]

Every year she was changing her voice, but after 1982 it was very different, and started to get lower.

Though during her first years she got a really sweeeet voice, the Tusk-BellaDonna-Mirage years gave her a powerful voice. I like it very much