Anyone got any predictions for the single?

[SapphireSister]

Quite frankly, I don't care whether or not any of the new songs on the album make the charts (no offense Jondalar). I mean yes, it would be great for her to be "popular" again in the mainstream but I could care less about the pop or AC charts. Now if she charted on iTunes, that would be super cool even if it was just us Stevie fans who were responsible! I would much prefer critical success, like Louis said, and us hard-core fans and Stevie herself loving the album. That to me equals success. I guess because I became a fan so late in the game I never really distinguished her songs as being singles or not, it's all just Stevie to me and I assume the same thing will happen with this album.

[markolas]

Pretty much *all* female musicians got bad reviews from rock critics. I don't put much stock in the fact that critics never took her seriously. They didn't take women seriously in general.

I've seen interviews from the late '70s/early '80s with female musicians (Stevie included) where the (male) interviewer is so condescending, it's unreal. She'll be talking about whatever music-related thing, and you can tell that the only thing the interviewer is interested in is what her tits look like.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by CADreaming

Friends. (WB).

Yeah and another show too, I seem to recall. I think a one hour drama. And then they were featured on Dateline too and also did Leno. So, NBC was all in on that album's opening promotion.

Michele

[PenguinHead]

Who knows? There may be track on the album that will catch the ear of a DJ/remixer who will make it big dance club hit!

[Jondalar]

It seems what people are saying is that she could release Dreams, or Hotel California or Stairway to Heaven and she's basically going to get blown off.

[GoldDustOrphan]

A small cabal of like-minded male music critics had a stranglehold on rock journalism for nearly three decades, but thankfully that has changed somewhat. But, there were those writers, such as the Boston Globe's Steve Morse - once the paper's #1 rock music columnist - and Rolling Stone's Tim White, who wrote rave after rave. Morse even gave Street Angel a great review.

[Bandon]

Originally Posted by markolas

Pretty much *all* female musicians got bad reviews from rock critics. I don't put much stock in the fact that critics never took her seriously. They didn't take women seriously in general.

I've seen interviews from the late '70s/early '80s with female musicians (Stevie included) where the (male) interviewer is so condescending, it's unreal. She'll be talking about whatever music-related thing, and you can tell that the only thing the interviewer is interested in is what her tits look like.

Well, she was an easy target singing about witches, ghosts, dreams, spells, wind, rain, lightning. I still chuckle at one critic who wrote something like you can always count of SN to give us music that provides us with the weather forcast.

[HejiraNYC]

Not to hijack this thread or anything (who, moi?), but is it entirely out of the realm of possibility that Stevie may debut at number 1 on the Billboard chart?

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/...-sales.html?hp

Cake Sets Record For Lowest Selling No. 1 Album
By REUTERS
Filed at 12:46 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - The year is off to a rotten start for the music industry, with the new No. 1 album setting a new record for the smallest sales total.

Alternative rock band Cake debuted at No. 1 for the first time in its career after selling just 44,000 copies of its new album "Showroom of Compassion" during the week ended January 16, according to Nielsen SoundScan data issued Wednesday.

It's the smallest week for a No. 1 album since the tracking firm began recording point-of-sales data in 1991, and beats a record set only last week when Taylor Swift's hit album "Speak Now" led the field with 52,000 units in its 11th week of release.

Cage the Elephant's "Thank You Happy Birthday" debuted at No. 2 on the latest chart with 39,000 units, while Swift's "Speak Now" dropped to No. 3 (35,000). Country act Steel Magnolia was the third and final bow in the top 10, as its self-titled set started at No. 7 (28,000).

As for the rest of the top 10, Bruno Mars' "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" slipped one to No. 4 (32,400), Nicki Minaj's "Pink Friday" dropped three to No. 5 (31,900), and the "Country Strong" soundtrack jumped four to No. 6 (29,000).

Rihanna's "Loud" fell two to No. 8 (28,000), best new artist Grammy nominees Mumford & Sons' "Sigh No More" slipped one to No. 9 (26,000), and Kanye West's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" fell three to No. 10 (25,000).

Overall album sales totaled 4.9 million units, down 11% compared with the previous week, and down 15% compared with the comparable sales week of 2010. Year-to-date album sales stand at 10.3 million, an 11% drop compared with the same total at this point last year.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

Not to hijack this thread or anything (who, moi?), but is it entirely out of the realm of possibility that Stevie may debut at number 1 on the Billboard chart?

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/...-sales.html?hp

WOW, the news keeps getting worse. We're very very lucky Stevie recorded her album last year at all. After reading this precipitous drop in recent record sales foreshadowing the ultimate demise of the record business as we once upon a time knew it, I honestly have to say I don't blame Stevie for jumping on board the co-headlining tour with Rod Stewart, which probably pushed back the release of "In Your Dreams" 2 months. And I agree, it probably does bode well for a Top 10 Album debut, if not landing her somewhere in the Top 5. But nobody's exactly bragging that they're #1 with sales like these

[Artemis]

Getting to #1 really depends on whether she's releasing before GaGa, or after GaGa. I think most major competition will avoid May like the plague becasuse of the GaGa effect. Stevie could get a #1 album if there isn't much competition.

I wouldn't be surprised if she hit top 5, and I'd say a top ten album is practically certain. Heart hit the top ten last year, when their 2004 album was only like 70 something? I think. I'm not so sure. Either way, I think with downloading and whatnot, classic artists with an older fanbase have a stronger chance of a decent billboard 200 album charting place now.

[Christopher]

Amazon shows GaGa's new release slated for May 23. I'm sure when Reprise decided on the release date for IYD, they steered clear of any major releases occurring the same day that could potentially steal some of the thunder away from Stevie's 1st release in 10 years.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Amazon shows GaGa's new release slated for May 23. I'm sure when Reprise decided on the release date for IYD, they steered clear of any major releases occurring the same day that could potentially steal some of the thunder away from Stevie's 1st release in 10 years.

I think it would be idiotic for people to avoid Gaga's release date. If anything, Gaga will bring people into the stores where, chances are, they are going to spend money on other stuff too. Realizing how much Stevie's audience overlaps with Gaga's audience, i.e., teh gehs, I would have totally piggybacked on this opportunity to sell a lot more albums, even if it means not debuting at Number 1.

[OooMissionary]

I think that Stevie could have a couple solid weeks of sales, debuting in the top 5, before Gaga's album drops... However, with Gaga being such the hott thing, the risk of her album being leaked is greater, and I can see the release date being pushed forward. I would prefer a slow rise for Stevie, though, and for her album to build and build...ala Alison Krauss/Robert Plant

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by OooMissionary

I think that Stevie could have a couple solid weeks of sales, debuting in the top 5, before Gaga's album drops... However, with Gaga being such the hott thing, the risk of her album being leaked is greater, and I can see the release date being pushed forward. I would prefer a slow rise for Stevie, though, and for her album to build and build...ala Alison Krauss/Robert Plant

Well, usually Stevie's album's after the Wild Heart pretty much tank after a few weeks on the charts, so lets hope that this album has staying power.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Getting to #1 really depends on whether she's releasing before GaGa, or after GaGa. I think most major competition will avoid May like the plague becasuse of the GaGa effect. Stevie could get a #1 album if there isn't much competition.

I wouldn't be surprised if she hit top 5, and I'd say a top ten album is practically certain. Heart hit the top ten last year, when their 2004 album was only like 70 something? I think. I'm not so sure. Either way, I think with downloading and whatnot, classic artists with an older fanbase have a stronger chance of a decent billboard 200 album charting place now.

Well, as of now, there aren't any major new releases scheduled for May 3. In fact, there is practically nothing between now and May 3 that I would consider to be a major, bonafide blockbuster hit; it's no wonder that Cake... frackin' Cake!... debuted at #1. It's not for nothing that album sales have been in the sh**ter lately; there's no good new product for sale. At this rate, Mama could have a crummy opening week and still open at Number 1, especially if she releases a strong single that gains some traction ahead of IYD's release.