IYD Press Reviews & Discussion

[SapphireSister]

Originally Posted by markolas

Thank heaven there's nothing on IYD that sounds like Alanis Morrissette. I always thought her music was awful. I think the reason I can't stand most music critics is that they don't seem to be able to talk about the music without comparing it to something else ("produced by Dave Stewart, but doesn't sound like Eurythmics," "reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac's radio rock," "solo work not as good as Fleetwood Mac"). The constant name-dropping of other artists is really tiresome.

Really? I understand why they do it though and it's more for the casual fan. For example, a casual fan may read that it was produced by Dave Stewart and think the albums sounds like "Here Comes the Rain Again" so I think it's also to distinguish the sound.

[markolas]

Whatever floats your boat, I guess. I'll continue to listen to whatever catches my fancy and pay marginal-to-no attention to music critics.

[michelej1]

By Tom Malder, May 26, 2011, Village Soup
http://waldo.villagesoup.com/blog/bl...he-cars/402940

Owls Head — Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams (Reprise CD, 64:47). I think a 10-year wait between albums is a bit long, especially when you have material as strong as Nicks presents here. In fact, the first single and opening track, “Secret Love,” was written in 1976, when Fleetwood Mac was opening for Peter Frampton at the time. It is about a forbidden relationship, but not one with Frampton, Nicks said.

Nicks’ last album of new material was the Grammy-nominated “Trouble in Shangi-La” 10 years ago. It was written and recorded at her Los Angeles home and is co-produced by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard, Nicks and Stewart (ex-Eurythmics with Annie Lennox) co-wrote seven of the 13 songs. Former bandmate Lindsey Buckingham sings and plays guitar on “Soldier’s Angel,” a highlight track that easily could have fit on Fleetwood Mac’s smash “Rumours” album. Mick Fleetwood himself contributes drums to the album. However, the core group that made the album was Nicks, Stewart, her longtime friend and musical director Waddy Wachtel and her girls, Sharon Celani and Lori Nicks.

Among the strong album’s many highlights are the travelogue “New Orleans”; “Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream),” inspired by the “Twilight” series; the orchestrated seduction of “Italian Dreams”; the rocker “Ghosts Are Gone”; and “Annabel Lee,” a 6-plus-minute delight inspired by the 1849 Edgar Allan Poe piece and a meditation on love and death. In one song, she sings, “I’m just a dreamer; I’m just a storyteller,” while in another the 63-year-old singer (her birthday was Thursday) admits her desire to “wear feathers and lace.” Grade: A

[Jondalar]

My brother saw Dancing with the Stars and he thought Stevie sounded awful and he didn't like what she sang. He said the first single sounded awful. However, he listened to the album because I been driving him to the hospital and he likes most of the songs. He especially likes Italian Summer and Moonlight and Wide Sargasso Sea.

[michelej1]

Philadelphia Inquirer


Stevie Nicks
In Your Dreams
(Reprise **1/2)

After a decade away from the recording studio, onetime Fleetwood Mac nightingale Stevie Nicks returns, untouched by time. At 62, her distinctive adenoidal voice is still oddly bewitching. It papers over some of the CD's more wifty tracks, as does the crisp production of Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard. (Waddy Wachtel and Mike Campbell made significant contributions to the music.) Nicks takes songwriting inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe ("Annabel Lee") to Stephenie Meyer ("Moonlight: A Vampire's Dream"). Perhaps tellingly, the track with the most pop appeal, "Secret Love," was written by Nicks in 1976. If nothing else, In Your Dreams proves that there's life in the old girl yet.

- David Hiltbrand

[jellyman10]

^^^ Wtf is 'wifty'?

[-Lillith-]

Even my father is crazy about in your dreams!

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by Richard B

LOL
Sharon the Skelator is ageless. No one knows for sure.

A hundred years from now, Sharon will look just like she looks now!

[Livia]

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/...122864234.html

Many critics and fans are calling Stevie Nicks’ new album the best of her solo career.

The title track of Stevie Nicks’ new album, In Your Dreams, is one of seven songs she wrote with the Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, who also co-produced the collection. The pair spent the past year recording the album at Stevie’s California home. Other collaborators include Mike Campbell of Tom Petty’s band The Heartbreakers, Stevie’s former bandmate Lindsey Buckingham, and Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood. Stevie refers to the making of “In Your Dreams” as the highlight of her entire career.

“I can honestly tell you, the very best year of my life," Stevie says. "It shuts down anything else that has ever happened to me. It was so much fun and so grand and so soul-fulfilling that when it was over and we started taking the studio down in December and all the people that had lived in the house that year started taking their stuff, it was horrifying. I almost just sat on the stairs and cried because I was so sad that it was over.”

The song “Annabel Lee”, found on Stevie's new album, is an adaptation of an 1849 poem written by Edgar Allan Poe. Other songs on In Your Dreams were inspired by personal events in Stevie’s life. Two date back to poems the singer wrote in the mid-1970s.

In 2004, Stevie began visiting wounded military personnel at Washington, D.C.’s Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Bethesda Naval Hospital. She helps lift their spirits by giving each soldier a portable media player filled with her favorite music. Included on her new album is a song called “Soldier’s Angel,” which holds special meaning to her and those she has met in the hospitals.

“It was a poem that was written in 2005 and since I have given this poem out to many many families, many many soldiers. And, I always told them, ‘This will be a song one day.’ So, I think this is my most revered song of all time,” she explains.

Stevie recently wrapped up a co-headlining tour with rock legend Rod Stewart. She hints that her future plans include the possibility of a new Fleetwood Mac album and tour that could happen as early as 2012.

[michelej1]

Christian Science Monitor, June 13, 2011
http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture...htest-and-more

Give Stevie Nicks her due: She's not buying into any musical fads. Before you even hear her new music, a glance at her CD In Your Dreams demonstrates the veteran pop-rocker's unabated love of ethereal stagecraft. From the cover shot of Nicks posing with a horse to a CD booklet with photos of her decked out in frills and laces– Rhiannon reigns. And she's delivered a solid solo set, helped by former Eurythmic Dave Stewart, who produced the album, as well as Fleetwood Mac bandmates Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham. Sure, Nicks's lyrics often lapse into angels, ghosts, and vampires, but she retains one of rock's most intriguing and unique voices. The album may not be a total landslide, but this is grown-up pop done well.

[Macfanforever]

Hum.When did Fleetwood Mac breakup.This really gets me unglued.When they print the word {former} .They did not break up.They are on break.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Christian Science Monitor, June 13, 2011
http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture...htest-and-more

Give Stevie Nicks her due: She's not buying into any musical fads. Before you even hear her new music, a glance at her CD In Your Dreams demonstrates the veteran pop-rocker's unabated love of ethereal stagecraft. From the cover shot of Nicks posing with a horse to a CD booklet with photos of her decked out in frills and laces– Rhiannon reigns. And she's delivered a solid solo set, helped by former Eurythmic Dave Stewart, who produced the album, as well as Fleetwood Mac bandmates Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham. Sure, Nicks's lyrics often lapse into angels, ghosts, and vampires, but she retains one of rock's most intriguing and unique voices. The album may not be a total landslide, but this is grown-up pop done well.

Solid is exactly the way I would describe this album.

[michelej1]

David Bowling, for Blogcritics.org, June 14, 2011

Stevie Nicks, she of Fleetwood Mac, the mystical witch persona, and a loyal fan base, released the seventh studio album of her 30 year solo career, May 3, 2011. It was her first studio album since Trouble In Shangri La and quickly proved that her popularity remained intact, as it reached number six on the Billboard Magazine Pop Album Chart.

In Your Dreams was produced by veteran Glen Ballad and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame. Stewart co-wrote, with Nicks; seven of the albums' 13 tracks. Also on hand are Waddy Wachtel, Steve Ferrone, Mike Campbell, Mike Rowe, and Michael Bradford plus the usual guest star appearances.

Nicks seems to have been very involved as she wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks. The album lacks cohesiveness as the music does not fall into any one style. Despite the music traveling in diverse directions, it is an excellent listen and proves there is still some life left in the "Gold Dust Woman."

There are a lot of musical styles and forms to like here. "Secret Love" is an upbeat song that was issued as a successful single. She originally composed the song for Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album but it failed to make the final cut. She followed this pop creation with the gentle folk of "For What It's Worth."

You can't have a Stevie Nicks album without a doomed relationship and the title song fills that role well. On the other hand "New Orleans" looks back at her leather, lace, and feathers days. "Soldier's Angel" expresses her thoughts about war but it is Lindsey Buckingham's guitar work that stands out.

The albums most interesting track was "Annabel Lee." She effectively uses Edgar Allan Poe's poetry as a part of her lyrics. Poe died at the age of 40 during 1849 and now his name returns as the co-writer of a Stevie Nicks song 162 years later.

The albums best track is "Italian Summer." It is one of those seductive love ballads that Nicks is so good at creating. The strings give it a full sound and Nicks proves that her voice can still hit notes that are unreachable to others.

I have the feeling that Stevie Nicks basically recorded material that pleased her, which ultimately gives the album its charm. Her new album may not be of the overall quality of Bella Donna or The Wild Heart but that's okay as it is a mature work, which stands on its own and contains a lot of good music. Stevie Nicks is now 63 and In Your Dreams proves she is aging well.

View the original article on blogcritics.org

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/b...#ixzz1PNr3KTwP

[talazam]

http://www.liveguide.com.au/Forums/t...ult.aspx#36574


Album Review: Stevie Nicks
In Your Dreams
Reprise/Warner 2011

By Liveguide Contributor - Trent Schupp

Thirty years after her first solo album Bella Donna, Stevie Nicks’ latest work In Your Dreams is an inspired collection of songs co-written and produced by the accomplished Dave Stewart – most noted for his work with the Eurythmics. While unlikely to reach the popularity of anything bearing the Fleetwood Mac brand, this album deserves to be rated as one of the finest pieces of work to come out so far this year.

Still largely known as “from Fleetwood Mac” – Nicks hasn’t been able to define herself as an artist whose solo success matches her past achievements. However, she definitely can do it on her own – Rolling Stone dubbed her “The Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll” after her first solo album. With the mix of rock, Italian ballad and folk on In Your Dreams, perhaps that title should be extended.

'Secret Love', the album’s first track, is a solid start with an unmistakable Stevie Nicks / Fleetwood Mac melody you know could easily be found on one of their albums – indeed it’s a relic of hers from the 70s. Although having to accommodate two other songwriters on a Fleetwood album was a severe constraint at the time, one of the advantages now is the quality of her held-onto 'leftovers'.

In Your Dreams with a few exceptions does without Mick Fleetwood’s booming drums or Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar inspiration. This is the product of Nicks having matured through the ups and downs of the Fleetwood Mac years and then her solo career – from the dizzying heights of Rumours, to the lows of her highly publicised cocaine addiction.

This album is refreshingly varied but the focus is on her vocals – and that’s no shame for Nicks' voice still sounds amazing – albeit with a stronger husk to it these days. 'For What It’s Worth' is a catchy folk track and 'Wide Sargasso Sea' offers a drum dominated beat that gently reminds of Mick Fleetwood. There is even a touching tribute to Edgar Allan Poe’s poem 'Annabel Lee' written in 1849.

This is one of those releases in which everyone will find a different favourite. However, for me, it’s 'Soldier’s Angel' and Lindsey Buckingham’s contribution to it. The modern day Fleetwood Mac formula is very evident in its similar structure to some of the Say You Will tracks (such as 'Illume' and 'Smile At You'). Although the Nicks / Buckingham relationship is clearly more strained now than it was in the beginning of the Fleetwood Mac era, when these two get together there is a lasting tenderness in what they do that makes their work very powerful.

Penultimate track, a powerful romantic ballad 'Italian Summer', left me amazed at the variety in the album and the versatility of Nicks who is indeed no doubt one of the finest ever musicians.

Rating: 8/10 stars

In Your Dreams is out now, for more information visit the official Stevie Nicks website here

[Livia]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/5c3q


BBC Review
There’s still only one Stevie Nicks – witchy, mystical and romantic.

Nick Levine 2011-06-17

If her first solo record in a decade proves anything, it's that there's still only one Stevie Nicks. A few tunes feature country-ish flourishes, and Italian Summer is an orchestral ballad that sways with the blowsy elegance of a half-soaked matriarch, but otherwise In Your Dreams sticks to the slick, melodic soft rock template set by Nicks on her first effort away from Fleetwood Mac, 1981's Bella Donna.

So while the production is as solid and glossy as a polished mahogany worktop – what else would you expect from Dave ‘Eurythmics’ Stewart and Glen ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Ballard? – the Nicks shtick, that familiar mix of the witchy, the mystical and the romantic, ensures that In Your Dreams only slips into vapidity on two or three occasions.

It's the romantic element of her well-honed persona that's the most prevalent across these 14 tracks. Written in the mid-70s, Secret Love is a paean to a clandestine liaison with a rock lothario whose identity, showbiz pro that she is, Nicks claims not to remember; Annabel Lee's lyrics are adapted from a poem by Edgar Allan Poe about love that lasts beyond the grave; and Cheaper Than Free features a cavalcade of couplets every bit as corny as the Green Giant's toothpick. An example: "What's deeper than a deep well? / The love into which I fell."

One song, the almost Evanescence-esque Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream), is even inspired by the Twilight series, a pop culture phenomenon that the uncharitable might note is targeted not at a 63-year-old (gold dust) woman of the world, but bewildered sexual innocents on the edge of 17.

But perhaps even more remarkably, 34 years on from Rumours, Nicks is still capable of extracting emotional heft from her relationship with Mac comrade and former flame Lindsey Buckingham. "We cause each other such pain everywhere we go now / At home or on the stage," she sings on Everybody Loves You, sounding more throatily goat-like than ever. Yes, if In Your Dreams proves anything...