Ooh and if he asks me some questions, well, I don't tell him lies and I don't have the need for alibis...

When it comes to Fleetwood Mac, as much as I like Stevie and Lindsey, I'm a Christine boy at heart. I always was more drawn to her sweet-yet-fragile songs like "Say You Love Me" and "You Make Loving Fun". And 1982's Mirage album featured McVie's "Hold Me" as the big single. Which makes Christine McVie's 1984 solo venture Christine McVie a familiar affair. "Hold Me" would've fit quite nicely on it, though it would've been the most esoteric cut on the album. This album is square in the mainstream fold, with "Love Will Show Us How" and "The Challenge" recalling hooks lifted from Mirage. "One In A Million" features Steve Winwood, which made me relisten to the album and think, this really is a lighter Back In The Highlife, with this song being the "Freedom Overspill" of the album, with the tight bass guitar hook, while "Ask Anybody" is her "Back In The Highlife Again". "Got A Hold On Me" of course would be the ultra-mellow version of "Higher Love", and it did deserve making the top 10. There's a lot of "filler" songs in between written by various band members, though thankfully mcVie's own "The Smile I Live For" comes at the end a sweet reminder of her sad ballads from the Mac albums. Christine McVie is a "nice" album, though not as notable as those of her bandmates in the Mac.


Grade: C+
Best Cuts: "Got A Hold On Me", "Love Will Show Us How"
Weakest Links: "I'm The One", "So Excited"

Christine McVie hit #26 on the pop albums chart in the US and #58 in the UK.
"Got A Hold On Me" hit #10 pop and #1 adult contemporary.
"Love Will Show Us How" made #34 pop.

You can pick up a copy of Christine McVie at sites like here and here.

To listen to the track "The Smile I Live For" you can download by clicking here (right-click to bring it up in another window).

And here's the totally 80's video for the song "Love Will Show Us How". Enjoy.