Rating system: A record with a rating of 1 is worthless; 10 is exceptional.
Christine McVie (Warner Bros.) -When you talk about second-wave British blues musicians, you think of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Steve Winwood, Jeff Beck, perhaps Rod Stewart and maybe even Peter Frampton. Nobody thinks to include Christine McVie in this company, but she belongs there.
Her first solo album, recorded in the late 1960s under the name Christine Perfect, demonstrated a raw blues sensibility and a thick, expressive voice. After almost 15 years with Fleetwood
Mac, she has recorded her second solo album, and it proves that her musicianship only deepened during that time.
If the public has not been able to appreciate McVie next to her more flamboyant teammates — namely Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham — her peers know what she can do. Clapton and Winwood both contribute to this album, as do Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood.
McVie hardly needed their help, however. The songs are every bit as catchy as anything Fleetwood Mac has recorded, and McVie’s faithful, romantic moods aren’t constantly interrupted. There’s no one else for her to share time with here except collaborator Tood Sharp, who seems to share McVie’s sturdy songwriting style.
Nicks is like the prettiest girl in school, while McVie is the smartest. Nicks never had to develop her other abilities, and it shows as she ages. McVie, on the other hand, did her homework, and now she’s having all the fun. Rating: 9.
Rick Shefchik / Lexington Herald-Leader via Knight-Ridder News Service / February 26, 1984
