Christine McVie Releasing ‘Songbird’ Collection 6/24 ft. Unreleased Solo Material; Stream “Slowdown”

On June 24, Christine McVie will celebrate her solo catalog outside Fleetwood Mac with Songbird: A Solo Collection, due out via Rhino Records.

Announced on Wednesday, Songbird was previewed with a track called “Slowdown,” one of two previously unreleased solo recordings. This one was originally written for the 1985 film American Flyers and is a particularly lively number:

Said McVie of the song: “I was asked to write a song for a film about a cycling competition. So, I thought we’d give it a go. So that’s why the lyrics are sort of muddled up with a little bit of a love song, a little bit of cycling. And it turned out really well, but they didn’t end up using it. We thought it was a pity to waste it, so it’s on here.”

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“Slowdown” is one of two unreleased songs featured on the collection; the other is “All You Gotta Do,” which a news release notes is “a duet that McVie recorded with George Hawkins while making In The Meantime. The track was never finished, and Johns added Ricky Peterson on Hammond and Ethan Johns on drums and guitar.”

Other tracks on the collection include songs from McVie’s two solo albums, 1984’s Christine McVie and 2004’s In The Meantime, and the whole project was remastered by Glyn Johns.

The track listing:

1. “Friend”
2. “Sweet Revenge”
3. “The Challenge”
4. “Northern Star”
5. “Ask Anybody”
6. “Slowdown” *
7. “Easy Come, Easy Go”
8. “Giving It Back”
9. “All You Gotta Do” *
10. “Songbird” – Orchestral Version *

* Previously Unreleased

Some additional highlights:

Another unreleased song is a new orchestral version of “Songbird” from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album, which has become one of McVie’s signature tracks. The latest version pairs McVie’s iconic vocals from the original recording with a gorgeous new string arrangement by six-time Grammy® Award-winning composer and arranger Vince Mendoza.

SONGBIRD goes back to 1984 for a selection of tracks from Christine McVie, which find McVie joined by several legendary musicians. “The Challenge” includes backing vocals by her Fleetwood Mac bandmate Lindsey Buckingham and lead guitar by Eric Clapton. “Ask Anybody” is a song McVie co-wrote with Steve Winwood, who adds backing vocals and piano to the track.

Most of SONGBIRD is taken from 2004’s In The Meantime. Highlights include the Top 40 AC hit “Friend” and “Sweet Revenge,” one of several songs on the record that she co-wrote with her nephew Dan Perfect, who also helped produce the album.

The liner notes accompanying SONGBIRD find McVie paired with acclaimed English radio DJ and broadcaster Johnnie Walker for a conversation touching on every song from the collection.