Album Review: Lindsey Buckingham, Lindsey Buckingham

It has been an eventful three years for Lindsey Buckingham. He left Fleetwood Mac for the second time in 2018, replaced by not one, but two guitarists, Neil Finn and Mike Campbell. Open heart surgery followed in 2019.

Thankfully, he sounds in fine fettle on his first solo album in a decade, and his seventh overall. It is fitting that this LP is self-titled, as it goes back to Buckingham’s roots – simple, melodic and often heartbreaking songwriting. Opener ‘Scream’ oozes classic Lindsey, with its fingerpicking intro. ‘I Don’t Mind’, meanwhile, offers an honest perspective on relationships: “So much left to do/ You and I will still be learning”.

‘On The Wrong Side’ could easily be a Mac song, in the ‘Go Your Own Way’ vein. Its glowing melody is in stark contrast with the lyrics: “I’m out of pity, I’m out of time/ Wonder just what have I done that I never realised.” This is typical of what Buckingham has always excelled at – sonically uplifting tunes with a lyrical sting in the tail.

There is a reflective tone throughout, never more so than on the acoustic ‘Time’. Elsewhere, ‘Santa Rosa’ has shades of The Travelling Wilburys. The album may not be spectacular, but it’s great to see Buckingham back writing and performing again. And whisper it quietly, but with the recent mood music in the Mac camp starting to soften, perhaps there could be one final swan song for the legendary quintet. Let’s see.

7/10