Stevie Nicks, Bella Donna

Stevie Nicks' first solo album, Bella Donna, is certainly one of her best. Although I personally consider her second album, 'The Wild Heart' to be her best, this one is definately up there with the best; it did after all make Rolling Stone magazine crown her as 'The Queen of Rock and Roll'

The title track is a wonderful, heart-felt example of soft rock at it's best, with an element of country in there, too. Nicks' obscure lyric writing is at its peak in this album, along with a few others.

'Kind of Woman' is a soft, haunting piano ballad, with a mezmorising refrain. Her witchy persona really shines through on this song.

The duet with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 'Stop Draggin' My Heart Around', written by Petty, is typical of his style of song writing. The harmonies on this song is worth buying the album just to hear them- perfect rock and roll.

Nicks' thought provoking 'Think About It', which was written for Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, and was actually demoed for the 'Rumours' album, is a hopeful and up-beat country-pop song; a highlight of Bella Donna, without question. Similarly, 'After the Glitter Fades' is another upbeat, piano based country style tune.

The spellbinding 'Edge of Seventeen', one of Nicks' trademark solo songs, is 'edgy', dangerous and almost frightening. Stevie's haunting lyrics, with the equally seductive harmonies from her backing singers provides a hooky, hair-raising rocker of a track. Without a doubt, the darkest, most hard rock song on the album.

'How Still My Love' is definately the stand-out track for me. The dark, but soft drum and bass at the beginning set the tone for this dark and eerie soft rock ballad. Nicks' 'oohs' and 'ahas' leave every hair on your neck stood upright. The lyrical brilliance of this song is, without question, one of her best written songs ever. There is a fantastic extended version of this song on her live album 'The Soundstage Sessions' from 2008, for those who are equally large fans of our Stevie.

Another country ballad, 'Leather and Lace' is a duet with her former lover and drummer for The Eagles, Don Henley. Both of these superstars are on top-notch, vocally; and you can tell they both mean what they're singing, as she wrote it under Henley's supervision in 1975.

'Outside the Rain' is a head nodding rocker, one of the album's finest songs, with vocals from Nicks that could have been sang on the 1975 'Fleetwood Mac' album.

The weakest song on here is 'The Highwayman'- a piano based country styled ballad once again. However, this song does not have the same mysticism and interest as the other tracks on here.

All in all, a fantastic album, and highly recommended to any Stevie Nicks fan, or indeed, a Fleetwood Mac fan, who wants to dip their toes in the individual members solo waters.