★½
Stevie Nicks – Street Angel
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t make Stevie Nicks’ latest a worthy listen. All is the operative word.
On Street Angel (Atlantic), Nicks is championed by singers and musicians such as Bob Dylan, David Crosby, Waddy Wachtel, Bernie Leadon, Michael Campbell, Andy Fairweather Low, Benmont Tench and Roy Bittan. Stalwarts all, but they’re not enough to carry inadequate lyrics and a voice that bleats as though it inhaled a dozen party balloons.
Campbell is game. For those selections on which he composed the music, it is a guitar power punch reminiscent of his work with Tom Petty.
When Nicks steps to the microphone and spews gibberish with unbearable vocals, all is for naught. Whether simpering or grandstanding, Nick’s Street Angel is headed for a roast.
Richmond Times Dispatch / July 7, 1994
