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ADRIAN THRILLS: Lindsey Buckingham swaps rifts for riffs on surprisingly upbeat solo album
By Admin -September 17, 20210142
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Lindsey Buckingham: Lindsey Buckingham (Reprise)
Verdict: Catchy Californian pop
Rating: 4 stars
The road to Lindsey Buckingham’s first solo album in ten years has been bumpy. The former Fleetwood Mac singer and guitarist planned to deliver the record three years ago, but it was put on hold as he underwent heart surgery. Its release was further delayed by the pandemic.
In June, the musician and his wife, Kristen Messner, separated after 21 years of marriage, and there’s also been another almighty row with his erstwhile bandmates: in 2018, he was ousted from Fleetwood Mac on the eve of the group’s 50th anniversary tour, and the ramifications of that split rumble on.
Rather than feeling sorry for himself, though, Lindsey sounds remarkably upbeat. There’s some rueful reflection, but his infectious melodies are hard to resist, and there’s even a touch of the arty invention that was a feature of Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 album Tusk. Of the ten tracks here, only two are ballads.
Buckingham, 71, made the album at home in Los Angeles, playing most of the instruments himself and providing his own backing vocals.
The road to Lindsey Buckingham's first solo album in 10 years has been a bumpy one but it finds the 71-year-old rocker sounding remarkably upbeat
The road to Lindsey Buckingham’s first solo album in 10 years has been a bumpy one but it finds the 71-year-old rocker sounding remarkably upbeat
As the songwriter behind hits such as Go Your Own Way and Big Love, it's no surprise to find echoes of Fleetwood Mac's golden era on Buckingham's new record
As the songwriter behind hits such as Go Your Own Way and Big Love, it’s no surprise to find echoes of Fleetwood Mac’s golden era on Buckingham’s new record
He was the songwriter behind hits such as Go Your Own Way and Big Love, so it’s no surprise to find echoes of his old band’s golden era. Indeed, there are moments when it’s impossible not to wonder (longingly) what his former girlfriend Stevie Nicks or keyboardist Christine McVie might have brought to these songs in terms of additional harmonies.
His legacy is most pronounced on the galloping rockers that open the album. Scream is energetic and rockabilly-tinged. I Don’t Mind features lyrics about the challenges facing couples in long-term relationships. On The Wrong Side, decorated by free-flowing guitar, is simultaneously about ageing and life on the road.
The pace slows a little on Blind Love — an elegant song in the style of soul singer Sam Cooke — and the album’s sole cover, Time.
The latter was a Stateside hit for 1960s folk-pop group the Pozo-Seco Singers, and Buckingham’s version, sticking faithfully to the original, is a nod to the American pop music he heard in his youth.
There’s more introspection on Santa Rosa, as he lays bare his regret at a failing relationship, but the overriding sentiment is one of banishing bad feelings and staying resilient, a mood summed up by the sing-song lilt of Blue Light.
In line with Fleetwood Mac’s reputation as rock’s longest-running soap opera, the album’s arrival has been overshadowed by group politics.
Lindsey says he was ejected from the group because Stevie Nicks ‘wanted to shape the band in her own image’. She has hit back by claiming she didn’t demand his firing, while founding member Mick Fleetwood now just wants him back in the fold.
All of which makes this a bittersweet addition to an ongoing saga. Fans of classic Mac albums, such as Rumours and Mirage, will be hoping for another reconciliation. In the meantime, Buckingham’s knack of composing perfect pop ear-worms remains undiminished.