"My music often unfolds like the book of my life," declares legendary rock poet
Stevie Nicks. And that's precisely the way she wants it to be. "1 believe in telling
the truth.., actually, it's the only way that I can exist as a writer."
It's to that end that Nicks created the sterling, often confessional Trouble In
Shangri-la, her first solo collection since 1994's Street Angel -- and her first
musical voyage as part of the Reprise Records family. She says the project has been slowly percolating for several years, "taking different shapes and forms.
But it never seemed quite right until recently. I needed to live my life. I needed
to replenish my well of life experiences."
And she certainly has. Easily one of her most powerful recordings to date,
Trouble In Shangri-la is brimming with the rich prose and vibrant imagery that has inspired a veritable army of disciples. "Every step along the path of my life,
I've been writing it all down, taking incredibly detailed notes," Nicks shares. "Instead of partying, I run back to my room, open my journal, and pour out my
heart onto paper. It can take minutes, or it can take all night. But it's always
deep. And it's always real."
For Nicks, getting back in touch with the part of her self that was confident about her tunesmithing skills was a crucial element in the creation of Trouble In
Shangri-la.
"I'd been hearing about how I should write with this person, or record that person's
material, and it started to wear me down," the artist reveals, adding that it took Iongtime
pal Tom Petty to remind her that she's a top-flight songwriter
In her own right. "I remember asking [him] to work with me on some songs. I wasn't
feeling my best; I was unsure about a lot of things. And he said, 'No... you don't need
anyone to help you with your songs. Do it yourself.'"
At first, Nicks was crushed. "But it was the jolt I needed," she shares, adding that the
album gem "That Made Me Stronger" was borne out of their fateful conversation. "It was
a pivotal moment for me. The clouds cleared, and things started to naturally flow again."
'Naturally flow' is an understatement. The songs started to come on like a tidal wave.
And while Nicks notes that her songs are "sometimes a continuation of one another,"
with common lyrical threads and theme, the songs that comprise Trouble In Shangri-la
also show the artist at her most experimental and varied. Classic Stevie tunes like the
acoustic-based "Candlebright" and the gentle ballad "1 Miss You" are tempered by
refreshingly inventive compositions like "Bombay Sapphire," with its delicate undertow
of Caribbean rhythms and its atmospheric keyboards, and "Love Changes," which is
seasoned with a splash of funk percussion.
"To not grow is to die," Nicks asserts. "Of course, you want to work within a framework
that best suits your talent and style. But you also want to continually shake things up."
For Nicks, shaking things up included inviting an array of new friends and musicians to
participate in Trouble In Shangri-la. Macy Gray vamps with seductive soul on "Bombay
Sapphire," while Sarah McLachlan harmonizes on the stately, piano-driven ballad "Love
Is." Also, Dixie Chick Natalie Maines is a complementary presence on the country-spiced rocker "Too Far From Texas." Nicks says each came to the project at times
when "the songs seemed to be calling out their names. These are strong, wonderful
women with incredible musical talent. To have them on this album is such a special gift."
Stevie recalls her first meeting with Gray as being particularly memorable. "Her vibe is
so wild, so intense. She walks into the room and it's like everything starts to move.
She's like a walking tornado. She's a total blast. We had a great time working on the
song. Our voices blended so well together."
Ultimately, the greatest gift to Trouble In Shangri-la is the kinetic creative union forged
by Nicks with Sheryl Crow. "We'd been circling the idea of working on this album for
quite a while," Nicks says. "But we could never quite make it happen because of scheduling conflicts. So, we just went forward with our respective business, but we
stayed in close touch. Suddenly, things cleared up and we wound up in the studio
together."
Nicks and Crow eventually worked on five of the set's thirteen tunes. "Our connection is
deep.., deeper than I can even put into mere words," Nicks says.
Crow, who has long cited Nicks as a primary musical influence, wholeheartedly returns
Nicks' ardor. "To even be in the same room as Stevie was a dream come true for me.
To work with her was beyond description. It was extraordinary."
Both agree that the key to their successful collaboration was mutual trust and respect.
"From the first moment in the studio, it was clearly a safe environment," Nicks say&
"And that opened up the lines of communication and allowed us to try new ideas out."
Among the more satisfying results of their experimentation is "Sorcerer," on which Nicks
scales to a rich falsetto during the song's mystical verses. "She was completely open
and in-the-moment while we were working," Crow notes. "She never stops working or
striving to be a better artist."
Stevie also never stops fighting for the lyrical integrity of her songs. She recalls being in
the studio with co-producer John Shanks, who helmed a number of songs on Trouble
In Shangri-la, and playfully tangling with him while cutting "Fall From Grace" -- the
set's linchpin arena-rock anthem.
"The original version of the song had all of these verses.., too many, in John's opinion,"
Nicks recalls. "So, we set out to edit the song to fit a workable structure, and it was just
breaking my heart to let some of the words slip away."
Nicks remembers one particular session when pals Laura Dern and Rosanna Arquette
were hanging out in the studio, and they caught a glimpse of the original draft of the
song. "And they were like, you can't cut all of these words," she remembers. "Poor
John, they were yelling at him and giving him a hard time. It was all done in fun and
good spirit, but it convinced me that I had to fight for my words. Before the night was
done, we got every syllable in. And it's become one of my favorite songs on the album."
In fact, "Fall From Grace" is among the songs that Nicks plans to add to her concert set
when she hits the road for a tour this summer. "It's the perfect balance to 'Edge of
Seventeen,' in terms of energy. It's a great song to rock out to. I love just cutting loose
to that one."
Actually, Nicks says there isn't a song on Trouble In Shangri-la that she wouldn't love
performing onstage. 'Tm so incredibly proud of this album," she adds. "These songs
have been such a big part of my life. I'm so pleased and excited to get them out there
for the world to hear. There's usually a period when an artist is nervous about how
people will react to their new material. I've been there. But there's something about this
set of songs. I have such a great, positive feeling about it. I'm more itchy for people to
finally hear them than anything else. That's a pretty good sign, isn't it?"
www.RepriseRec.com
02/01
