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Rock's fairy godmother hooks up with Sheryl, gets
compliments from Lindsey, and invites us into her Shangri-La.
by Steffie Nelson
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 tevie Nicks has always considered herself a songwriter first, performer second, but try telling that to the acolytes who flock to New York's "Night of 1000 Stevies" to honor the woman, her wondrous voice, and last but definitely not least, her wardrobe. One of the most charismatic figures of rock 'n' roll, Nicks has enchanted audiences for more than 25 years with her unique ability to convey both power and vulnerability. As a solo artist and as part of Fleetwood Mac, she writes songs that elevate the feminine to a sacred place without alienating the male contingent; everyone feels honored to share her secrets and spells. In the words of friend and collaborator Sheryl Crow, Nicks is "the woman men want to be with and women want to be." Listening to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours at the age of 11, I too was enchanted by her silvery tones and languid phrasing, and spent hours poring over the photos of this tousled blond beauty in flowing chiffon and platform boots. She was, quite simply, the coolest chick I'd ever seen.
Now 52, Nicks is as vital an artist as ever, and her recent collaborations with Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray, Sarah McLachlan, and Natalie Maines are a testament to her continued cool. Trouble in Shangri-La, Nicks' first solo record since 1994's Street Angel, represents a huge leap for the singer. A concept record that asks the question "what is paradise?" Shangri-La features songs from as far back as 1970, as recent as this year. From the title track to the driving "Sorcerer," Nicks has added a bluesy depth to her vocal repertoire. The five songs produced by Sheryl Crow introduce looped drums and a light country twang. The record also includes a guest appearance from Nicks' former lover, bandmate, and sometime-nemesis Lindsey Buckingham, which is a good sign for all the Fleetwood Mac fans who've been wondering about a reunion.
Speaking to VH1.com from her California home, Nicks discusses the process behind what is easily one of her best solo albums, her determination to overcome stage fright, and the creative bond she still shares with her Fleetwood Mac cohorts.
VH1.com: The new record is great, congratulations. Billboard said you're in your finest musical form since Bella Donna.
Stevie Nicks: Really? Well, I am actually in my finest form since Bella Donna. Bella Donna was made up of all the songs that didn't go on the Fleetwood Mac records between 1975 and 1980 - which was many - because when you're in a group with three writers you only get two or three songs per album. It's the same with Trouble in Shangri-La: I started writing these songs in 1995 right after the big earthquake in California [in 1994]. And the other three were from the mid-'70s.
In your bio you mention that you needed to replenish the creative well - go out and live your life for a while to get some new ideas.
After the earthquake, in 1995 I went to Phoenix, and I never thought it was gonna take five years [to make an album]. So what happened is exactly what you said: In order to write the nine new songs on this record I had to really live. I can't just make up songs, I can't just make up poetry. I don't write a poem unless something catches my eye and I go home very inspired or I meet somebody that really impresses me in some way. I would love to have written these songs during the first year and put this record out and be on to my second record by now, but I couldn't. I wrote "Love Is" at the end of 1995 and I wrote "Trouble in Shangri-La" at the end of 1996, so it took one year to write those two songs. And I had to fit the three old songs and the new songs that I would come to write in between those two, because I wanted to stick to the concept of "trouble in Shangri-La."
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