The “Bella Donna” of one of the world’s most popular bands is spreading her solo wings once again.
Stevie, who owns one of rock’s most distinctive and expressive voices, will showcase her catalog of hit songs old (her well-known solo and Mac benchmarks) and new (from her latest album In Your Dreams) when she performs at 8 p.m. on March 2 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.
You know her songs: “Rhiannon,” “Dreams,” “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” “Stand Back,” and “Gold Dust Woman,” plus many more.
The genesis of Nicks’ latest effort, however, owes itself to the world’s obsession with teenage vampires.
“I had written a song in Brisbane, Australia when I was on tour with Fleetwood Mac in 2009 called ‘Moonlight — A Vampire’s Dream’ which was inspired by the New Moon film,” said Nicks, via her website. “When I finished writing that song, which came together really quickly, I knew the time was right to start recording.”
In Your Dreams was co-produced by Grammy Award-winner Glen Ballard and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame, who co-wrote seven of the album’s thirteen tracks.
“This was one of the most extraordinary experiences I’ve had making a record,” Nicks continued. “Dave created a situation where I could be totally creative and focused on writing songs and making music.”
“I cannot remember ever having this much fun making a record.”
The co-writing and down-home style of recording In Your Dreams harked back Nicks’ creative peak with Fleetwood Mac in the mid- to late-1970s.
“Writing the songs and recording them in my home studio was the key element in how this music turned out,” Nicks explained. “It is the first album that I have had this kind of collaboration since the making of ‘Rumours.’ It made the whole process seem very similar to how we used to work back in the day.”
As for the near future, Nicks and her old band are getting ready for a world tour, so this will be the last time you’ll be able to see Stevie perform sans The Mac for a long time.
“The great thing about having a solo career and having a Fleetwood Mac career is that you can go back and forth, and that really makes for never a dull moment,” Nicks said in a recent interview. “So now we’re ready to put what we did away and we’re ready to start with this, and it’s exciting.”
For further information and tickets, visit www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Chris Baptiste / Southwest Riverside News Network / Monday, February 25, 2013