Released: June 24
Fleetwood Mac legend Christine McVie celebrates her pop legacy with a timeless collection of understated highlights from her solo career.
In addition to her work with the supergroup – for which she penned and performed hits such as Say You Love Me, You Make Loving Fun, Little Lies and Everywhere – the singer-songwriter has released three solo LPs: Christine Perfect (1970), Christine McVie (1984) and In The Meantime (2004).
Although her endeavours outside of the group never reached the heights of bandmates Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, ‘Songbird’ puts Christine’s compositions front and centre, showcasing her inimitable blend of blues and pop that scored some of the most popular and enduring hits of the past five decades.
It features a selection of songs from the star’s latter two albums, which have been remastered by legendary producer Glyn Johns, who worked closely with the star on the project, alongside two previously unreleased studio recordings from the vault.
Opening with 2004 cut Friend, Christine’s trademark pop hooks characterise this compilation, from which any of the tracks wouldn’t sound out of place on a Fleetwood Mac record – the only thing missing, of course, are those classic Buckingham Nicks harmonies.
That’s not to detract from what’s on offer however, as ‘Songbird’ serves as a reminder that Christine remained active during the group’s mid-’80s hiatus – between the ‘Mirage’ (1982) and ‘Tango In The Night’ (1987) albums – and following her departure in 1998 after ‘The Dance Tour’.
Despite scoring her biggest solo success with her sophomore effort, much of ‘Songbird’ focuses on ‘In The Meantime’, with half of the LP comprising tracks from that album, while only two songs from ‘Christine McVie’ appear. Whether 18 or 38 years old, though, ‘Songbird’ is a testament to her ability to craft songs that stand the test of time, outside of chart trends.
That’s evident on the new songs – ballad All You Gotta Do and Slowdown, which was originally written for the 1985 film ‘American Flyers’ – both of which hold their own and are more than deserving of a place on the record and will hopefully convince the hitmaker to revisit more shelved projects.
The jewel of the album comes as its final track, as Christine revisits her signature cut Songbird, which originally appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s seminal album ‘Rumours’ (1997), this time with the backing of an orchestra, which allows the song to take flight and soar higher than ever before.
It’s a poignant reminder that, despite her position stage right with Fleetwood Mac, as Buckingham and Nicks share the spotlight, Christine McVie is a vital part of the band’s make-up and the pop glue that held their sound together down the years.
‘Songbird’ is a testament to that and a refreshing dive into her musical contribution outside of the group. And after teasing us with two ‘new’ cuts, we just hope there’s even more to come in the not so distant future…
‘Songbird: A Solo Collection’ is available now.
