LP Review: Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham are back with a new duet album.

Kayleigh Hinsley · June 25 2017 · 06:00PM

Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham are back, this time as a duo, with their latest project; a duet album simply titled Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie. While the cover art feels a little clinical and modern in comparison to past Fleetwood Mac and Christine McVie albums (it could’ve been slightly more arty, although it does fit with Lindsey’s aesthetic), the music on the new record is definitely up to standard.

Intro track “Sleeping Around the Corner” kickstarts the record with a catchy tune and serves to remind the listener of that classic Fleetwood Mac sound whilst putting a modern spin on it. “Sleeping Around the Corner” and “Lay Down For Free” are definitely Fleetwood Mac songs; they have the hooks, the harmonies and are reminiscent of Tusk era songs such as “The Ledge”. Indeed, the album was recorded in the same studio as Tusk, Studio D at the Village Recorder in Los Angeles.

“Feel About You” is an upbeat track with a 60s girl group vibe and some great harmonies. While it offers something a little different to what you migh have come to expect from members of Fleetwood Mac, it’s a song that would not have been out of place on their 1982 album Mirage. The album’s first single, “In My World”, also has a familiar Fleetwood Mac sound. The song even mimics the provocative ‘oh’s on the Buckingham-penned hit “Big Love” from their 1987 record, Tango In The Night. One highlight of the album is the track “Too Far Gone”. This is a real rock song, which alternates between Lindsey’s catchy guitar riff and Mick Fleetwood’s lively drum solo, while “Love Is Here to Stay” is more mellow and offers positive vibes.

Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie has all the hallmarks of an album that came together easily and naturally. Each track leads seamlessly into the next and nothing feels out of place, with the three co-written tracks, “Feel About You”, “Red Sun” and “Too Far Gone”, demonstrating just how well the pair work together. However, it is clear that Buckingham has taken the lead on this album, both writing and singing on more tracks than McVie. Only two songs were written solely by McVie, the woman without whom we wouldn’t have some of Fleetwood Mac’s best-loved songs such as “Everywhere”, “Songbird” and “Don't Stop”, an absolute classic and one of the band’s most enduring hits. While this uneven split does leave the album at risk of sounding a little too much like a Buckingham solo project, the two McVie-penned tracks, “Game of Pretend” and “Carnival Begin”, are undoubtedly the highlights of the entire record.

“Game of Pretend” is the new “Songbird”. On an album comprised mainly of relatively upbeat rock songs, it is certainly refreshing to hear a slower song, especially one that lets Christine’s piano playing shine through. The intro on that song takes you right back to Rumours. I never thought I’d say this, but it turns out that my favourite track on the album is the slowest one. Closing song “Carnival Begin” is very much about Christine’s return to Fleetwood Mac, after her 16 year hiatus. It’s poetic and packed with metaphors, and coupled with previous track “On With the Show”, it creates a sense that this is just the beginning of a new chapter in the history of one of rock’s most iconic bands.

Overall, while the new material would easily have made an outstanding Fleetwood Mac album had Stevie Nicks decided to contribute, the record stands on its own as a great duet album from two iconic songwriters. One of the best new releases of this year.