Something Else! sneak peek: Stevie Nicks, “Lady” from 24 Karat Gold (2014)

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“Lady,” a starkly emotional piano-driven ballad, makes clear that Stevie Nicks has, for too long, hidden behind effects — be they electronic, sartorial or otherwise. Stripped of artifice, Nicks connects on an elemental level that she simply couldn’t while swaddled in synths or shawls.

Known to her deepest fans as the demo “Knockin’ on Doors,” this track provides a striking full-length preview of what’s in store on 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault, due October 9, 2014 via Warner Bros.

Filched copies of poorly recorded sessions work initially inspired 24 Karat Gold, which finds Nicks — as the title suggests — returning to officially unreleased songs for inspiration. (She’s already issued a similarly updated version of her long-bootlegged “The Dealer,” earlier this month.) In keeping with this intimate theme, the album cover will include candid Poloroid shots from throughout Nicks’ career.

24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault was co-produced by Nicks, Dave Stewart (who worked with Nicks on her most recent studio effort, as well) and longtime collaborator Waddy Wachtel. Before this album arrives, look for Nicks to join a reconstituted Fleetwood Mac for a new tour that begins September 30 and continues through December, her first since the late-1990s with Christine McVie.

Nick DeRiso