Lindsey Buckingham
is the album that got
kicked out of
Fleetwood Mac
. Back in 2018, he had his seventh solo album wrapped and ready to go, so he entered negotiations with the rest of the band to slot its release and supporting tour between the group's blockbuster 50th Anniversary celebrations. Things went awry, leaving
Buckingham
out in the cold. It was merely the start of an eventful few years for the rocker, one involving health scares and marital woes, not to mention releases getting pushed back due to a global pandemic. All these delays work in
's favor, though, as the album doesn't address any of this turmoil: it simply exists as an exquisitely rendered gem. Ironically enough,
is the first of his solo albums to embrace all of the crowd-pleasing elements of
.
still indulges his clever, arty side -- witness "Swan Song," which glimmers to trap beats and computerized cut-out backing vocals -- but this is an album where hooks and harmonies flow easily while the production shimmers warmly in the sunset. As much as
recalls the heyday of
-- specifically
Mirage
, where he labored to create a commercial version of
Tusk
-- it's also an album that refuses to walk a straight line. Arrangements gain momentum through overdubbed guitars and vocals, his melodies take slight detours to their destination, and he pauses long enough to reconnect with his folk roots by covering "Time," a song popularized by the
Pozo-Seco Singers
. It's a lot of ground to cover in a swift 36 minutes but the nice thing about
is that it feels as vibrant as it is controlled. It's the work of an expert craftsman who relies on his skills as composer, arranger, producer, vocalist, and guitarist to sculpt songs that comfort without succumbing to nostalgia. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine