Lindsey Buckingham returned on Friday with his first solo album since being fired from Fleetwood Mac in April 2018.
It’s a self-titled album, which is typically the calling card of an artist finally having the freedom to control their own music, discovering their signature sound or debuting their first collection of music. But in Buckingham’s case, it is an album lost in the past.
I had low expectations for this album. It’s not outstanding by any means, but it's definitely listenable if you are a Fleetwood Mac fan – and are more than just a fan of “Dreams” and “Landslide.” It’s a sound that’s reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s late '70s and early '80s work, which is a sound that Buckingham had a massive role in curating.
It’s full of infectious hooks and the type of rolling jams that might get you through a long road trip or set the pace for your morning walk to campus.
I particularly enjoyed “Blue Light,” “On the Wrong Side" and “Time.” These are testament to Buckingham’s talents as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, a contemporary of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young.
But my primary qualm is that the album lacks cohesion.
If I had to guess, these songs are a conglomerate of Buckingham-penned outtakes from the decades of Fleetwood Mac. It’s as if he blended all of his former band’s production aesthetics into one album — the ambiguous lyricism of the “Tusk” era, the vocal production of the “Tango in the Night” era and a few random drum loops and bright synth-led instrumental productions reminiscent of the “Say You Will” era.
Taken individually, each of these notions is pleasing to the ear – they match their respective genres. Taken together, these notions fight against each other. It’s an indefinable, unedited sound.
Yet, I understand and appreciate Buckingham’s continued passion for music. He is a legend in the music industry, and his name carries immense weight.
