Ever-creating and moving forward, Stevie Nicks unfolds her musical mythology at the MGM Grand, July 25, in support of her latest release, The Enchanted Works of Stevie Nicks, a 46-track tribute to her life onstage.

"I'm inspired by life. I'm inspired by people," said Nicks. "If I fix up a room with some nice candles and put some beautiful things around, I can usually sit down at the typewriter or with a journal and write. I think it's all about environment...There's nothing like it to bring out the creative side of you."

From the start, assembling in a definitive collection of Nicks' work proved a colossal task. Between Fleetwood Mac recordings and the artist's solo projects, there were nearly 100 million albums, tapes and CDs that bore her voice artistry.

"It's hard picking songs off albums. It's like picking your favorite children," wrote Nicks in Enchanted's liner notes. "But I did my best."

Appropriately enough, Nicks' collection opens with "Enchanted" off the 1983 The Wild Heart album and segues into 1981's Bella Donna, with "Leather and Lace," "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" and "Bella Donna."

Disc two features songs from the 1980s and 1990s, with singles from 1985's Rock a Little, 1994's Street Angel and 1989's The Other Side of the Mirror. On the last disc, Nicks serves up never-before-released tracks, including "Twisted," which was recorded for the movie Twister.

"When I was asked to do a song for the movie Twister...I realized that this really was my story. It was about people who had extreme jobs, like chasing tornadoes, or being in a rock band. Anyway, I really handcrafted this song for the movie. Unfortunately, if you saw the movie, you missed the song. So I decided to give you the original demo, recorded March 10, 1996, on a four-track Tascam. ...I love this song. I hope this time...you will understand it," Nicks said.

The disc continues with a Lindsey Buckingham collaboration "Long Distance Winner," "It's Late," a song Nicks said she learned when she was 4 years old, and the songwriting demo of "Sweet Girl," which appeared on Fleetwood Mac's 1997 album The Dance.

And what volume of Nicks' work would be complete without the song that has become her anthem? Slowly, broodingly "Rhiannon" unfolds with the help of a solitary grand piano. Unlike previous versions, this demo reveals "'Rhiannon' to you now, as she is today. I feel her wisdom is much evolved and you will hear that in the piano, and in my voice. People say, 'Do you really want to go through that again?' And all I can say is 'It is my pleasure.'"

Whether you've danced alongside Nicks for decades or just recently been intoxicated by this gypsy's genius, you're sure to discover the power to ring, loud and clear, like a bell through the night.

• Where - MGM Grand
• When - July 25
• Information - 891-7777