I've got to admit, I know little to nothing about Stevie Nicks, except for her most well-known work with Fleetwood Mac, songs like "Landslide" and "The Chain." But I've decided to review her latest solo effort, In Your Dreams, for today; I like exploring new genres of music.
This is a very intriguing album, but in weird ways. When I checked out the tracklist, I expected the best tracks to be "Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream)" and "Annabel Lee," but that's the crazy thing about music. If you set something to the wrong music, it can sound awful - it doesn't matter how poetic the lyrics are.
"Moonlight" was inspired by the "New Moon" movie, according to Nicks, in an interview on The Bob and Tom Show. The first part of the song was written in the 1970s, and Nicks said that the point in the movie where the heroine is abandoned by her love reminded her of a similar experience. I hate that movie, but the song isn't bad. It is interwoven with violins and piano, almost devoid of the plucky (no pun intended) acoustic guitar that saturates the rest of the album.
The lyrics of "Annabel Lee" are taken directly from Edgar Allan Poe's famous poem. I was really excited about this song, as this is probably my favorite poem of all time, but I don't feel the music did the words justice at all. It was way too sprightly and energetic. I feel like the words to that poem should be sung with brooding, melancholy reverence - after all, it's about a guy sleeping with his dead lover.
The best songs on this album came from surprising directions. "Wide Sargasso Sea" was written about a novel written as a "predecessor" to Jane Eyre (though it was not written by Charlotte Bronte). It focuses more on the relationship between Mr. Rochester and his wife Bertha. The song's lyrics are what really drew me in here: "She went back into her ocean / back to her white house" and "You may have forgotten me / but you'll never forget that kiss" are some of the most memorable lines.
"Soldier's Angel" was probably my favorite track on the album. It is sung with former Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham on backing vocals. Its sort of spiritual chant and its low, melancholy rhythms make this a standout song.
In the end, this is an album about the past, about sorrow and loss. But sometimes pain makes a beautiful subject to write about - this album is a solid work, and I'm definitely going to check out more of Nicks' solo work.
I'll post the videos for "Secret Love" and "Cheaper Than Free" above.
Best tracks: "Wide Sargasso Sea," "Soldier's Angel," "Ghosts Are Gone," "Italian Summer"
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