**New Single** - Secret Love

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by AliceLover

Key word in my post: so much

Obviously I care about Stevie's sales because she cares about them. Even Stevie knows that she is not putting out another Bella Donna. At most she will go Gold and recieve critical acclaim. For me, it is just about enjoying the music....and I am.

Its one thing to care about sales, but not obsess over it.

No one has been obsessing over it. She will be really lucky if the the album goes gold in this day and age.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

I'm satisfied with single, but some others are not. After hearing the song, I'm pretty sure I'm going to get the album I want. It's just that sales keep contracts and I hope her and Dave get together for another record soon. The Fleetwood Mac thing just takes way too long. And to be honest, although her songs on SYW were a step above TISL, I think her Dave have some real creative chemistry.

I would gauge after reading through this entire thread, that the majority of Ledgeheads like it, if not love it. I think the response so far is good, considering the disparity of opinions around here, and considering that promo/singles are rarely our favorite tracks. Judging the production and singing on this track alone, I think we're in for a FANTASTIC album & I'll predict it will be better than TISL. I do suspect "Secret Love" is more Ballard than Stewart, if not co-produced by both in the end. My biggest problem with the song, besides it being too short, is that it is too catchy for my ears...I can't get it out of my head...and thats not necessarily a bad thing... yet . So I've just stopped playing it, so I don't tire and bore of it. As far as sales...I'd like it to do well enough in this current music climate and reach Top 10 album status, but don't expect TISL #'s. I would be more content with mass critical attention and praise across the board at this point. Maybe it will be a slow burner....

When I look back at both TISL and Stevie's SYW contributions now that the excitement and years have passed. It's occurred to me that I listen to TISL far more frequently as a whole than Stevie's SYW songs. I commend SYW in that it showcases far and away the most Stevie diversity of any FM record (but the same could be said of Lindsey's songs). But her vocals were not recorded in the most flattering way & the production only embellishes this fact. This is probably the reason I don't listen to many of her great SYW songs.

I've started to develop the conclusion that Stevie's modern voice needs grand production and atmosphere (if done properly) to carry off her artistic vision for today's music connoisseurs. TISL simply put,has more atmosphere than SYW. If Stevie still had her Bella Donna-Wild Heart voice, I would say YES... She need to be recording with T-Bone Burnett or Rick Rubin and strip things down. But that Stevie is long gone.

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by AliceLover

Key word in my post: so much

Obviously I care about Stevie's sales because she cares about them. Even Stevie knows that she is not putting out another Bella Donna. At most she will go Gold and recieve critical acclaim. For me, it is just about enjoying the music....and I am.

Its one thing to care about sales, but not obsess over it.

Yeah, even I thought I went overboard when I used the word "consumed".

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by jellyman10

And I don't really like the sound of the intro in the first two bars: reminds me of all those ghastly drum machines I used to work with in the early 80s.

I like her voice, though. She really sounds so much younger here than on TISL.

See? To me those sound like signature Mick Fleetwood kick drums... and we know Mick did indeed contribute quite a bit to this album.

And you're right... her voice sounds decades younger and infinitely more alive than it did on TISL. Most of her singing on TISL sounds like "I just don't give a damn" when compared by the passion we hear on Secret Love.

[SapphireSister]

I played it for my mom several times. She likes it but noted that Stevie has a "manly voice" lol.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by Christopher

I would gauge after reading through this entire thread, that the majority of Ledgeheads like it, if not love it. I think the response so far is good, considering the disparity of opinions around here, and considering that promo/singles are rarely our favorite tracks.

Is it the best single she has put out since... forever? No. I still think "Planets of the Universe" was a better single. But I don't think it deserved the harsh criticism it received from some either. Some said it was too middle-of-the-road. It wasn't edgy enough. It sounds cold, sterile and passion-less. Well... there is some validity to all of that. But honestly what do you expect from Stevie Nicks in 2011? Another "Edge of Seventeen?" Simply put, nobody makes music like that anymore, not even Stevie Nicks. It seems that she simply cannot win. If she does something retro in the vein of Bella Donna, people will lambast her as being a dinosaur who failed to evolve. If she does something very modern, then people will accuse her of trying to be trendy or they will say that she should do something like Bella Donna. Damned if you do; damned if you don't. My only criticism with "Secret Love" is the fact that it is a vault song written 35 years ago; I really wanted to hear something brand-spanking new. Otherwise, I really do love what Dave, Glen, et al. have done with it. The melody is unchanged, but the newly-added musical hook- that slowly cascading four-note riff - is totally brilliant. I also love the occasional oddball quirks thrown into the mix. It's definitely not a by-the-books Stevie song, yet it harkens back to the best of her recorded output. It is modern, but captures a kind of old fashioned new agey vibe at the same time. If I'm looking for "cutting edge," then I will look in another direction.

[SapphireSister]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

... But honestly what do you expect from Stevie Nicks in 2011? Another "Edge of Seventeen?" ...

Actually yes, that would be sensational! She could even start crowd surfing as a new traditioni like the Edge walk.

[AnthonyMI]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

See? To me those sound like signature Mick Fleetwood kick drums... and we know Mick did indeed contribute quite a bit to this album.

And you're right... her voice sounds decades younger and infinitely more alive than it did on TISL. Most of her singing on TISL sounds like "I just don't give a damn" when compared by the passion we hear on Secret Love.

A lot of this might have...more than likely I mean... was achieved with common tools people have been using for years. Even back in the 1960's the Beach Boys were recording vocals at lower speeds and then playing them back at higher speeds to achieve a more "Youthful" sound for the vocals. One example of this is Rock and Roll Music.

Today vocalists can just sing a song and most everything can be tweaked post production. I am sure they used a combination of this on TISL, TSS and now this new album. You can hear some of the tweaks for sure on TSS and Secret Love.

Now, Stevie can still sing on key, and still can belt out a tune and when she WANTS to can sing some pretty notes and with feeling. But we are kidding ourselves if we think the sounds coming out of Secret Love are 100% un-retouched Stevie Nicks.

NOT that I am complaining. I will take 15% retouched Stevie Nicks vocals over the 100% retouched sounds of most of today's Pop music.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by AnthonyMI

A lot of this might have...more than likely I mean... was achieved with common tools people have been using for years. Even back in the 1960's the Beach Boys were recording vocals at lower speeds and then playing them back at higher speeds to achieve a more "Youthful" sound for the vocals. One example of this is Rock and Roll Music.

Today vocalists can just sing a song and most everything can be tweaked post production. I am sure they used a combination of this on TISL, TSS and now this new album. You can hear some of the tweaks for sure on TSS and Secret Love.

Now, Stevie can still sing on key, and still can belt out a tune and when she WANTS to can sing some pretty notes and with feeling. But we are kidding ourselves if we think the sounds coming out of Secret Love are 100% un-retouched Stevie Nicks.

NOT that I am complaining. I will take 15% retouched Stevie Nicks vocals over the 100% retouched sounds of most of today's Pop music.

I agree... there's as much retouching on the vocal as there is on the new promo photo. Still, I'll take Cyber-Stevie any day over no Stevie at all.

[KarmaContestant]

Duplicate - edited.

[KarmaContestant]

[QUOTE=KarmaContestant;936567]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

But honestly what do you expect from Stevie Nicks in 2011? Another "Edge of Seventeen?" Simply put, nobody makes music like that anymore, not even Stevie Nicks.

I'd like to ask you to clarify this statement. Music like what?

[HejiraNYC]

[QUOTE=KarmaContestant;936569]

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

I'd like to ask you to clarify this statement. Music like what?

"Edge of Seventeen."

[jellyman10]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

I agree... there's as much retouching on the vocal as there is on the new promo photo. Still, I'll take Cyber-Stevie any day over no Stevie at all.

The only thing I would say about that is that, as we saw in 'Destiny Rules', she does sometimes keep a weather eye on how what goes on record translates to live performance, which might inhibit the tendency to tweak, especially in respect of raising the key. Some tweaking, for sure, but I also think that Dave S. -- like S. Crow -- has succeeded in convincing SN that she can afford to reach a bit further, vocally.

I don't agree that the vocals are as tweaked as the photos. If that were the case, she'd be sounding like a smurf.

[Nikolaj]

Finally all pre-ordered! Official site, and amazon.

[Christopher]

Here's Rolling Stone's review of "Secret Love"
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/so...-love-20110118
Lets all sign in and give the song some LOVE for the world to see, since by and large we mostly adore it