[rating=3.00]
Lindsey Buckingham is quite possibly one of the most underrated guitar players, songwriters and vocalists of all time. In part because of his affiliation with the super group Fleetwood Mac in which he was allotted an average of three cuts per album. But the main reason is, Buckingham never capitalized on his status like his counterpart Stevie Nicks did and has only released four solo albums in his 30 year career. Fourteen years since his last release, Out of the Cradle, Buckingham emerges once again from the shadows with Under the Skin.
The predominantly acoustic based disc finds Buckingham in a quiet and introspective mood. While he showcases his brilliantly nibble fingers throughout the 45 minute recording, some of the complex guitar arrangements on tracks like “Not Too Late” and “Shut Us Down,” at times overpowers the listener. However, the remaining nine songs are extremely palatable and highly accessible. Buckingham creates a gentle mood with exquisite acoustic strumming and breathy vocals on the title track and on the Jagger/Richards reworked cover “I Am Waiting.” A vintage Fleetwood Mac-era Buckingham rears its beautiful head with “Down on Rodeo” and on his ode to children, “Someone’s Gotta Change Your Mind” the singer employs a horn section for a Tusk period result. He plugs in for “It Was You” on which he takes full advantage of his producer title by overdubbing his voice for an echoing harmony effect. While Under the Skin is a nice effort, it comes ten years too
late to be recognized outside dedicated fans.
