Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie
Lindsey Buckingham/ Christine McVie
(East West Records)

The first ever collaboration between Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie (beyond the many hits and wonderful music they have delivered in the Fleetwood Mac cannon) is creatively called Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie.

“Sleeping Around the Corner” opens with Buckingham on lead vocals and a high poppy beat (this tune, in another incarnation, appears as a bonus track on his 2011 solo album, Seeds We Sow). “Feel About You” follows with its heavy metallic percussion (there’s lots of drum programming sounds throughout) and McVie leading the vocals.

The true collaboration I feel begins on “Red Sun” with McVie’s vocals upfront and Buckingham’s guitar placed perfectly where it should be.

“Love Is Here to Stay” sails when McVie lends her vocals on the chorus, lifting the verses from the usual Buckingham whisper vocals, along with some of his great picking. Meanwhile “Too Far Gone,” the heaviest track, again sees some great Buckingham electric picking and leading, McVie’s vocal upfront again (thankfully) and a heavy stomp reminiscent of Mac’s Tusk album.

McVie’s mostly vocal/piano ballad “Game of Pretend” is nice, but not much of a tune while her “Carnival Begin,” the last of the ten is better. McVie’s distinctive vocals, a layered plink-y sedated tempo and Buckingham’s lead brings us home better than most on this track.

While Lindsey Buckingham is a wonderful songwriter/guitarist and producer, he’s not the best at editing himself. With Mick Fleetwood and John McVie lending their talents here (and knowing Stevie Nicks backed out of a new Fleetwood Mac project leaving Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie as the obvious next move) I feel this is not exactly the best collaboration we could have gotten from these two.