10 best vocals out of 6 albums

[Kayli]

I'm bored, let's discuss. We're all in love with Stevie's voice (that's why we're here, I presume), but out of her six solo albums, what 10 songs do you think vocally she reaches a colossal sound of pure goddess-amazingness? Oh, and feel free to pull from Timespace and Enchanted tracks, too. Any solo work is fine. Honorable mentions are encouraged, but must be controlled! (Her vocal work with FM
is for another thread entirely )

Here are mine, not in any particular order:

#1 Crystal (from Practical Magic) - My favorite sound of hers vocally comes after 1989, and this is a perfect example. I love her husky, smooth sound. You can hear remnants of her soft and breathless '70s-sound still creeping in. Her voice is so full. This is one of my favorite songs of hers to listen at maximum-volume and just drift.

#2 Leather and Lace - If the woman can't sing country, nobody can. I don't know if everybody hears this as a country song, but I do, and to put it simply, her parts on this song make me melt. "I need you to love me, I need you today", ah, so gorgeous.

#3 Imperial Hotel - Never mind the fact that this is one of my favorite Stevie songs as a whole, her voice is top-notch here. I love the way she sings the second verse, all those "oh baby, baby, baby, baby...."

#4 Listen to the Rain - Another song that her voice seems to wrap around the melody and music perfectly, raspy and rock-y. She'd kill at singing this one live on her next tour!

#5 Wild Heart - Everything I could ever love about Stevie Nicks' voice is right here, line by line. Best part? That last minute of the song where her voice gets that tangled, however, effortless sound in the 'darkest places of your mind', 'the children are hopelessly enchanted', etc. And the little ooh's after. I heard this song for the first time two years and it's still giving me chills; I'm sure it still does to listeners of 20-something years.

#6 Somebody Stand By Me - We get unreserved, passionate, full-on blues here. OHMYGOD.

#7 Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Love the quietness of her voice before it fills the chorus with Tom Petty's vocals. She did it great in the '80s and she does it great now.

#8 Trouble in Shangri-La - One of Miss Nicks' strongest vocals around a really wordy song. I really like the production behind her voice in the chorus, it brings out a really cool (and still raw) sound.

#9 Bella Donna - I love this because the vocals feel effortless. All the little added ohh's and high notes between the verses. The 'don't change, baby, please don't change', is so soft and carefree in the way she sings them.

#10 Nothing Ever Changes - I think this is one of her sexiest vocals. She manages to give her voice an attitude, there's a sneer in it. Total rock-y vocal, one of her best.

Honorable mentions that deserve a place!

I Miss You - Pretty vocal

Gold and Braid - Why do we worship her? Right here.

No Spoken Word - Her voice was gaining that raspier sound on this record. Just love the way she sings each line. Love the little pauses between the line "you fill the room with the rain and the wind and the water", whatever it is Ha.

I Will Run to You - I swear, her and Tom Petty should make an album after this next album, lol. Their voices blend beautifully together.