As Stevie Nicks readies her next album, 24 Karat Gold, she's been releasing individual tracks through YouTube. Listen to the newly released title track above.
Off the top, the song sounds vastly different from what you'd expect from Nicks. The distorted grungy bass sounds like it could have come off a punk / indie rock album from the '80s or '90s, but then locks into a groove akin to familiar Fleetwood Mac Rumours classics "Dreams" and "You Make Loving Fun."
The guitars, keys, and drums all sound crisp and beautiful as the song develops around extraordinary vocals with lots of melodic and textural layers. Fans of Fleetwood Mac and Lindsey Buckingham should enjoy the guitar-work, which goes between full-throttle overdriven rock and delicate picking. The personnel on this particular song hasn't been released, but we know that team of Dave Stewart (from The Eurythmics) and Waddy Wachtel have been working on the album.
Previously unreleased demos of "24 Karat Gold" have existed on YouTube for years from the 1981 Bella Donna Sessions bootleg. While they don't sound nearly as good as this newly produced version of the song, they provide interesting context for the evolution of the song and Nicks' voice sounds phenomenal. Check out the "Original Vocal Mix" and the "Demo + Backing Vocals + Added Lyrics + Added Guitar," both built over drum machine and piano.
You can order 24 Karat Gold - Songs From The Vault on Stevie Nicks' official website, Amazon, and iTunes. The album is set for an official release on October 7, although the vinyl deluxe packages will be available a week earlier.
For Stevie Nicks' latest music, news, and tour dates, check out her Zumic artist page.
Source: Stevie Nicks YouTube