Christine McVie
When Fleetwood Mac regrouped in 1975, trading its British blues pedigree for a sunnier Californian spin on pop rock, vocalist, songwriter, and keyboard linchpin Christine McVie fit right in, belying her English origins to prove comparatively mellow alongside the edgier Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks' brooding crystal visions and anguished confessions. This 1985 solo outing is predictably solid, paced by midtempo rockers and vulnerable ballads that showcase McVie's cool, velvety alto, tidily crafted songs, and blue chip session help from friends like Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Eric Clapton, and Steve Winwood, who pitch in behind McVie's own crisp quartet. The set's most enduring track remains the single hit, "Got a Hold on Me," featuring Winwood's signature synthesizers, but admirers of McVie's work with the platinum Mac will find other charms.--Sam Sutherland