"Fleetwood Mac are more like a folk-rock band"
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Calling Fleetwood Mac "more like a folk-rock band" is Ann Wilson quietly yanking them out of the glossy soft-rock display case and putting them back in the tradition aisle, where harmony, story, and ensemble craft matter more than radio sheen. It reads like a corrective: a reminder that the band’s cultural image has been flattened into high-drama pop mythology (Rumours as soap opera soundtrack), when the actual wiring is older and earthier.
Wilson’s intent lands on musicianship, not branding. Folk-rock is code for song-first discipline: layered vocals, acoustic foundations, narrative lyrics, a certain communal feel even when the subject matter is private wreckage. Framing Fleetwood Mac that way spotlights how their biggest songs work: not because they’re maximalist productions, but because the melodies are sturdy enough to survive a campfire version. It’s also a subtle nod to lineage. Before the stadium-era polish, Fleetwood Mac had blues roots; folk-rock is a way of describing the bridge they built between British blues credibility and California singer-songwriter intimacy.
There’s subtext, too, about gatekeeping and respect. Wilson comes from Heart, a band that’s often been sorted into "hard rock" or "classic rock" categories that can erase nuance. By reclassifying Fleetwood Mac, she’s pushing back against genre boxes that undervalue softness as craft. The statement flatters them, but it also demystifies them: yes, the drama sold records; the songs are what lasted.
Wilson’s intent lands on musicianship, not branding. Folk-rock is code for song-first discipline: layered vocals, acoustic foundations, narrative lyrics, a certain communal feel even when the subject matter is private wreckage. Framing Fleetwood Mac that way spotlights how their biggest songs work: not because they’re maximalist productions, but because the melodies are sturdy enough to survive a campfire version. It’s also a subtle nod to lineage. Before the stadium-era polish, Fleetwood Mac had blues roots; folk-rock is a way of describing the bridge they built between British blues credibility and California singer-songwriter intimacy.
There’s subtext, too, about gatekeeping and respect. Wilson comes from Heart, a band that’s often been sorted into "hard rock" or "classic rock" categories that can erase nuance. By reclassifying Fleetwood Mac, she’s pushing back against genre boxes that undervalue softness as craft. The statement flatters them, but it also demystifies them: yes, the drama sold records; the songs are what lasted.
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| Topic | Music |
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