Fleetwood Mac surprised by Sheryl Crow claim

By Gary Graff

DETROIT (Billboard) - Sheryl Crow's recent claim that she would be working with Fleetwood Mac surprised a lot of people -- including the members of the classic rock group.

Crow, 46, who's friendly with Mac's Stevie Nicks, told the AOL music website Spinner.com earlier this month that she and the band "definitely have plans for collaborating in the future, and we'll see what happens."

"I think we were all a little surprised (Crow) was announcing that to the world with such certainty," Fleetwood Mac principal Lindsey Buckingham, 58, told Billboard.com with a laugh.

"We have talked about the possibility of bringing another woman into the scene to kind of give Stevie a sort of foil and shake it up a little bit. (Crow) was certainly a name that has come up. We'll have to see."

Nicks, 59, has been the group's sole female member since Christine McVie, now 64, retired from the band in the late '90s.

Buckingham said the group, which last toured in 2004, is considering returning to the road in the first half of 2009, possibly with some new material. He said that he has "a ton of new stuff" that could be used for a new Fleetwood Mac album, its first since 2003's "Say You Will."

Buckingham -- who's just released a new concert DVD, "Live at the Bass Performance Hall," from his 2006-07 solo tour -- is also planning another solo album for this summer.

Recorded with members of his touring band as well as Fleetwood Mac co-founders Mick Fleetwood, 60, and John McVie, 62, he said it "has a little more of a rock feel to it" than his most recent effort, 2006's "Under the Skin."