Lindsey Buckingham＜限定盤/Sky Blue Vinyl＞

Lindsey Buckingham is the album that got Lindsey Buckingham 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 groups 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 Lindsey Buckingham’s favor, though, as the album doesn’t address any of this turmoil: it simply exists as an exquisitely rendered gem. Ironically enough, Lindsey Buckingham is the first of his solo albums to embrace all of the crowd-pleasing elements of Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham 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 Lindsey Buckingham recalls the heyday of Fleetwood Mac -- specifically Mirage, where he labored to create a commercial version of Tusk -- its 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. Its a lot of ground to cover in a swift 36 minutes but the nice thing about Lindsey Buckingham is that it feels as vibrant as it is controlled. Its 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

フリートウッド・マックの戦友、クリスティン・マクヴィーとの共演作から4年。その間、心臓手術中に声帯を損傷する困難に見舞われもしたが、こうして無事に新作が届けられた。その内容はというと予想以上に冴えまくりで、根っからのポップ・スタイリストな面と、とかく奇抜な音作りに没頭しやすいニューウェイヴ小僧の面が程良く共存、我の強さを際立たせつつも聴き心地の良さは抜群という高度な芸当を披露してみせる。往年の名調子を取り戻したかのような"I Don't Mind"など、渋さより無邪気さが目立つのも嬉しいし、独特なギター奏法を存分に堪能できる点も◎。この先は気持ち新たにバンドに戻って創作に励むのもいいと思うのだが……女帝の許しを得るのはやっぱりキビしそう?
bounce (C)桑原シロー