Released: 17 September 2021
Lindsey Buckingham strikes gold with his first solo album in a decade.
Ten years since his last effort ‘Seeds We Sow’, ‘Lindsey Buckingham’ follows the musician’s 2015 UK Top 5 duets album with Christine McVie.
Originally intended for a 2018 release, the LP was put on hold following his departure from Fleetwood Mac, after more than four decades in the band, and subsequent lawsuit.
Further tragedy struck when the singer suffered a heart attack, followed by an emergency triple bypass, in early 2019, sparking fears his singing days could be over for good.
Now back and fighting fit, Lindsey returns to the stage for a new solo tour and a career-best seventh solo album.
‘I’m outta pity, I’m outta time / Another city, another crime’ he sings on the prophetic single On The Wrong Side, referencing the turbulent relationships within Fleetwood Mac.
Despite its completion before his axing from the group, the LP explores the bonds between himself and bandmates Christine McVie, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks.
On album opener Scream, Lindsey details their connection onstage – ‘Nighttime’s the time I love so much / Lost in the language of your touch’ – while follow-up I Don’t Mind acknowledges the challenges they’ve faced.
‘On and on and on we go now / Rain will fall and winds will blow now’, he sings of their tempestuous bonds.
Other tracks are more introspective; ‘Still crying about joy / Still laughing about pain’ he sings in the opening lines of Blue Light, while Time laments the years gone by from the man who lived at the centre of it all.
Santa Rosa, a mid-tempo number about love and loss, is an all-time best from Lindsey’s solo career.
Layered harmonies can’t make up for the legendary sound of the Mac, but at a time when new music from the group looks unlikely, ‘Lindsey Buckingham’ is a welcome reminder of the music that soundtracked a generation.
