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Lindsey Buckingham - Seeds We Sow Album Review


Ever since Lindsey Buckingham made the decision to leave Fleetwood Mac, permanently ;( or so we believed at the time) after the release of the Album ‘Tango in the Night’ (1987) Lindsey has forged onwards with his own solo career, while also going back to his friends in Fleetwood Mac.

So much is the love and deep respect he has for his former band.

Lindsey Buckingham’s own solo career started while he was still in Fleetwood Mac, with the Album ‘Law and Order’ released in 1981.

From his second studio album ‘Go Insane’ released in 1984, it took another eight years to release his third album ‘Out of the Cradle’ released in 1992. He took so much time and effort to make this third album be the best it could possibly be.

I am glad to report that ever since the release of that third Album, Lindsey has been releasing albums more regularly. If he has not been releasing albums in a certain time period that is because he has been involved with Fleetwood Mac Albums and Tours.

Lindsey’s last studio album ‘Gift of Screws’ (2008) was like his former girlfriend Stevie Nicks latest album ‘In Your Dreams’ (2011) his most rockiest solo set of songs he had released in years. That is also in addition to the previous number of heavy rock songs on Fleetwood Mac’s album ‘Say You Will’ (2003).

For this his brand new sixth studio album ‘Seeds We Sow’ we have a Lindsey Buckingham album in a way we have never heard him sound like before.

He left his former record company Warner Bros Records, and joined Eagle Records (a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment). He also set up his own label Mind Kit Records to release his own solo albums.

The thing about Lindsey Buckingham is that he is not just a very talented Singer-Songwriter; he is also generally the producer of his albums. He has been known to record albums in his own home studio.

The key to this new album and the way it sounds is due very much to Lindsey recording in his own studio, and very much going for the classic early 1970’s rock sound for sound acoustics. There are parts of this album that very much sound like a home demo, and in Lindsey Buckingham’s case that is not a bad thing at all. He is fully displaying his own independent credentials on this new album.

The album starts with the title album single ‘Seeds we Sow’. Lindsey playing solo acoustic guitar like only Lindsey Buckingham can. There is only one word for this single; ‘Sublime’.

Lindsey’s playing of guitar always amazes the listener, and this single is just classic Lindsey Buckingham material. This song would not have been out of place on his ‘Under the Skin’ Album (2006).

The next single ‘In Our Own Time’ starts with light touches of instrumentation (just like the way seeds we sow came across) and then goes into a chorus, that just totally (and I mean TOTALLY) amazes you.

You are suddenly aware of Lindsey talent as a Producer. He has two or three acoustic guitar parts going on in the chorus. His use of classical counterpoint melodies will have your jaw dropping to the floor in unbelief. What is more, these guitar parts are spread across the stereo field for a sense of sound dimensions coming through the speakers.

After the shock of that AMAZING track; you have the single ‘Illumination’ and you yourself are also ILLUMINATED in how this track sounds. If there was ever a reason why analogue sounds better than digital, the proof is in this single. If you want that classic retro sound of 1970’s Rock Recordings you have to do what Lindsey Buckingham does with the ‘Illumination’ track, and DON’T use too many wet sounding reverbs on your recordings. I mean I don’t know the principles of recording a track like this, but MY GOD!! Can you hear it, and BOY!!!!! Does it make you happy.

The chorus of the song ‘That’s the way love goes’ is like being transported to circa 1977 of Fleetwood Mac’s greatest Album ‘Rumours’

The track ‘Stars Are Crazy’ is just as moving a song, as ‘Bel Air Rain’ was from his ‘Gift of Screws’ album (2008).Lindsey’s vocal reaching the highest points of his voice register

One track after another; all the songs on this album all have that classic Lindsey Buckingham trademark of incredible acoustic guitar playing.

Lindsey does not generally use a finger pick while he is playing guitar. He uses his fingers near the fret board, so gets that very unique acoustic sound in his recordings. This whole album is just beautiful from start to finish. There also seems to be evidence of techniques he was using in his ‘Out of the Cradle’ album (1992). His use of electronic sounds coming in and out of the sound mix. Touches of soft acoustic guitar and rock acoustic guitar working singularly or all together in songs. In the quieter moments of this album there are examples of songs like, ‘Rock Away Blind’, ‘End of Time’, and ‘She Smiled Sweetly’ that match up to his work on the Album ‘Under the Skin’ (2006)

The real reason why this whole album comes across very well is because it is HONEST and TRUE to Lindsey’s own heart as a musician.

Lindsey is a very unique acoustic and heavy rock guitar player, and these are the principles that really drive this Album.

I really believe this is one of the finest solo albums that Lindsey Buckingham has released in his career to date.

This is a Hugely Incredible and Totally Recommended Album.

Lindsey Buckingham Seeds We Sow Eagle Records/Mind Kit Records

10/10 **********

Roger Howard© 28/09/2011